Veteran QB Kirk Cousins emerges as a potential bridge, mentoring promising prospect Fernando Mendoza as the Las Vegas Raiders navigate their quarterback future.
Right now, there is no shortage of storylines regarding the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders kicked off free agency with a ton of agreements, including center Tyler Linderbaum and plenty of others.
The Raiders also traded away quarterback Geno Smith, sending him to the New York Jets for a pick swap.
And, to top it off, the Raiders agreed to acquire two first-round picks from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Maxx Crosby. However, on Tuesday night, the Ravens backed out of the deal, sending Crosby back to Las Vegas right before the official start of the new league year.
Now, on Wednesday, another nugget dropped: The Raiders are expected to show interest in recently-released veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Russini adds that Cousins will help Mendoza if he comes to Vegas.
Right now, all signs point to Mendoza as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, barring perhaps the biggest surprise in recent memory.
The Raiders need a young QB, and Mendoza is far and away the best in this class, and he has a lot of intangibles that make him desirable for Las Vegas.
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in 2024. Then, they selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL draft in a very confusing turn of events.
Cousins eventually lost the QB1 job to Penix, although he replaced Penix in 2025 after he suffered a season-ending injury.
Cousins finished 2025 with 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions across a total of 10 games.
The Falcons then decide to release Cousins, which means they are still paying him, and allowing a team to sign Cousins to a minimum deal.
In theory, Cousins coming to Las Vegas to start while Mendoza holds a clipboard and gets ready for the NFL game makes a lot of sense.
The Raiders are not in a rush, and they have made it clear that they will start Mendoza when he is ready.
Some other veteran options are Jimmy Garoppolo and Carson Wentz, but Cousins is a name that could make a lot of sense for Las Vegas.
Klint Kubiak, the Raiders' new head coach, was with the Minnesota Vikings as the QBs coach from 2019 and 2020, and then became the OC in 2021. Cousins was also in Minnesota through 2023, so they know each other fairly well.