Raiders secure veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, sparking questions about their draft plans and a potential dual-QB strategy for the upcoming season.
Kirk Cousins has found a new franchise to lead for the 2026 NFL season. The former Vikings quarterback has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the NFL draft.
The move is an interesting one given that the Raiders are likely to target Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. And while prevailing wisdom has said to let a quarterback learn from a veteran quarterback on the bench, Cousins' high dollar contract.
Mark Anderson of AP News described Cousins' new contract with the Raiders. It's a big one. Anderson wrote the following.
"Kirk Cousins agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, his agent Mike McCartney announced Thursday morning, giving them a veteran quarterback to help ease the expected selection of Fernando Mendoza with the top draft pick.
Cousins’ most recent team, Atlanta, will pay $8.7 million this season and Las Vegas will handle the remaining $1.3 million. Another $10 million in guaranteed money will come next March. The Raiders also have a two-year, $80 million option."
The deal prompts several questions. The first, why are the Raiders signing Cousins if they do indeed plan to draft Mendoza.
Obviously, it's easy to see their likely reasoning. It probably is along the same lines of what the Falcons did in bringing in Cousins before drafting Michael Penix Jr. with a high draft pick. We saw how that went, though. Las Vegas appears not to think it went too poorly.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks to pass the ball against the New York Giants during the second quarter of a wild card game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesPrior to the Vikings' pursuit of now starting quarterback Kyler Murray, they were rumored to be interested in adding Cousins as a rental quarterback to relieve J.J. McCarthy of starting quarterback duties. That, of course, was not well received by Vikings fans.
It's unlikely most Minnesota fans feel any ill toward Cousins after his tenure with their team. Nevertheless, many would agree that the former starter was not an answer for the franchise after several years of underachievement in the postseason. That is, if the Vikings made the postseason in a given year.
Cousins does seem to upgrade the Las Vegas quarterback room, though the impact may not be as significant as Raiders fans may hope. He makes for an interesting signing to watch in the 2026 season.
For now, Cousins is a starting quarterback once again. We will keep an eye on how the former Minnesota signal caller works with his new team when the NFL season resumes in September.