The Raiders have a new quarterback. No, not that one … at least not yet.
Mere days after questions began circulating at the NFL owners’ meetings about where Kirk Cousins may land, Las Vegas has swooped in to sign the veteran signal-caller—according to his agent, Mike McCartney.
Cousins was released by the Falcons at the start of the new league year as they made clear their plan to move forward with third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and fellow lefty Tua Tagovailoa. The 37-year-old will now join his fourth team since being selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, bringing with him to Sin City nearly 45,000 career passing yards, 298 touchdown passes, and four Pro Bowl nods.
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The signing makes plenty of sense for the Raiders as—equipped with a new head coach in Klint Kubiak and the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft—they look to turn their 4–13 finish to last season on its head. Here’s a look at why.
Been there, done that
Cousins has seen it all throughout his 14-year NFL career.
Between his awkward (to say the least) situation with fellow rookie Robert Griffin III in Washington—where he was then strung along on franchise tag after franchise tag—to finally getting a true shot with the Vikings, only to then sign a massive deal with the Falcons and be undermined by their selection of Penix Jr., Cousins’s skin is inevitably thick heading into 2026. He’ll bring the ideal journeyman attitude to a Las Vegas franchise looking for veteran leadership—and seems happy to do so, at least if we go by his latest post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Autumn Wind…
— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) April 2, 2026
Oh yeah—and he’s also worked with Kubiak in the past. The two crossed paths for three seasons in Minnesota, with Kubiak serving as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach from 2019 to ‘20 and their offensive coordinator in ‘21. Over those three years, Cousins threw 94 touchdowns, led the team to 25.8 points per game and posted a career-high 107.4 passer rating in 2018.
Cousins is not only equipped with plenty of NFL experience, but also an understanding of the offense Kubiak will implement with the Raiders in 2026.
Mendoza’s mentor
The Raiders are in prime position to select the draft’s top quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, as all signs point to them selecting the former Indiana signal-caller with the No. 1 pick.
Mendoza—like Cousins—carries with him a pass-first skillset and a team-first attitude everywhere he goes, making him an ideal franchise quarterback as Las Vegas looks to turnover a new leaf. That said, he’s also a raw prospect despite starting 36 collegiate games only finding true, game-breaking success this past season on the way to a 16–0, national championship-winning campaign with the Hoosiers.
Whether the Raiders hand the reins to Mendoza in Week 1, or allow him to sit behind Cousins to begin the season, remains to be seen. Either way, it’s hard to imagine the two won’t blend perfectly into a cohesive quarterback room.
Winner winner, chicken dinner
Cousins has proven over the last decade and a half that he simply wins football games. Even when he’s not expected to.
As a full-time starter, a backup option, or while being called upon in what was likely an uncomfortable end to the 2025 season in Atlanta, Cousins has amassed an 88–77–2 record while under center throughout his career—a 53% winning percentage that has led to three playoff appearances with both Washington (1) and Minnesota (2).
The Raiders, meanwhile, have come out victorious in just 39 of their 101 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and have qualified for the postseason just once—all while seeing five head coaches come and go. As team legend Al Davis famously said, they need to “just win, baby!” Cousins can help that happen in 2026, no matter the situation they decide to put him in.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Kirk Cousins Signing With Raiders Makes So Much Sense.
