Raiders News
The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with quarterback Kirk Cousins on a contract that is effectively a one-year, $20 million deal, his agent Mike McCartney announced Thursday. The signing sets up a quarterback arrangement that will carry the franchise through a pivotal transition period.
The financial structure of the deal spans five years and $172 million on paper, but the only fully guaranteed money is the $20 million this season. The Atlanta Falcons will cover $8.7 million of that figure, a remnant of Cousins’ previous contract, while the Raiders will pay $1.3 million this year and a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus on the third day of the 2027 league year. Las Vegas also holds a club option for two additional years at $80 million, though that option is widely expected to go unexercised.
The signing reunites Cousins with head coach Klint Kubiak, who served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator alongside Cousins during three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2019 to 2021. Kubiak has been transparent about his preference for how the Raiders plan to develop a young quarterback.
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start day one,” Kubiak said Tuesday at the NFL Annual League Meeting. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way.”
That young quarterback is widely expected to be Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana signal-caller and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner who visited Raiders facilities on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Las Vegas holds the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and is strongly projected to use it on Mendoza.
Prior to the Cousins signing, Aidan O’Connell was the only quarterback on Las Vegas’ roster after the team traded Geno Smith to the New York Jets this offseason. The addition of Cousins immediately changes the depth chart picture. Cousins is expected to start Week 1, with Mendoza learning the system before eventually taking over.
During his final season in Atlanta, Cousins completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions across eight starts, going 5-3 in those games. He had stepped in after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a torn ACL.
The move gives the Raiders a known commodity at the position while protecting Mendoza from immediate pressure. It also provides a familiar face for the offensive skill players already on the roster. Running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers represent two of the most dynamic young offensive pieces in the AFC West, and both stand to benefit from a stable veteran presence under center.
Cousins, who turned 37 in August, is entering his 15th NFL season. He began his career as a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State by Washington in 2012 and has since passed for more than 44,700 yards in his career.