The Las Vegas Raiders haven't talked a lot about their QB plans beyond Fernando Mendoza, but today they made a big move.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been all about Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza for the last couple of months, but now they’ve added well-traveled NFL veteran Kirk Cousins to serve as a backup/bridge quarterback, according to an ESPN report.
The 37-year old Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler who worked with new Raiders coach Klint Kubiak for three seasons when they were with the Minnesota Vikings, and the deal comes less than a month after the Atlanta Falcons parted ways with Cousins just two years after signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Terms of this deal have Cousins making $8.7 million this season, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, it's basically a one-year, deal with $20 million guaranteed. Cousins has a well-earned reputation for getting paid, but to do that in Las Vegas he'd need to play well enough to get into the second year, which would make it a two-year deal for $80 million. Schefter also added that it sets a record with this being Cousins' 11th straight NFL season with a guaranteed contract, and the overall announced value was for five years, $172 million.
Cousins’ time in Atlanta was uneven, as the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just six weeks after signing him, which definitely took Cousins by suprise.
The veteran quarterback was coming off a torn Achilles when he signed with Atlanta, and he led the Falcons to a 6-3 start in 2024 before an arm injury derailed the Falcons’ fast start. Cousins then threw nine interceptions in the next five games, which led Atlanta to commit to Penix as their quarterback of the future.
Cousins was healthy last year last year, but Atlanta remained committed to making the change until Penix tore his ACL in Week 11. Cousins then stepped in and became the starter, and he helped the Falcons to a four-game win streak to conclude their season.
The basics for Cousins in Las Vegas will undoubtedly include mentoring and tutoring Mendoza, assuming the Raiders draft him the former Indiana star, but Cousins’ exact role as a potential starter probably won’t be clear for a while. Kubiak recently said he’d prefer not to start a rookie quarterback in Week 1, so it’s safe to assume Cousins will start initially if he’s healthy.
Presumably Cousins' physical went better than that of defensive end Maxx Crosby, as the Raiders are still handling fallout from Crosby failing his physical with the Baltimore Ravens as the Ravens rescinded the trade for a pair of top draft picks.
Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions last season, and his 47.6 QB rating tied him at 22nd in the league with Bryce Young. Cousins has passed for 44,700 yards with 298 touchdowns and 131 interceptions in 14 seasons in the NFL.
Mendoza just completed his pro day, and he still has a pending pre-draft visit with the Raiders, so it will be interesting to get his reaction to all this. On paper this looks like a solid move that gives the Raiders a path forward at quarterback, which is unusual for this franchise to say the least.