Kirk Cousins Signs With Raiders; Likely Mentor to Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

Cousins will sign a five-year, $172 million contract. The Raiders are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Cousins previously signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He was released earlier this offseason to clear cap space.

Although his new contract may seem big, there’s important context to add. 2026 is the only guaranteed season. He will make a guaranteed $20 million in 2026. 2027 and 2028 come with team options. If the Raiders decline these options, the contract automatically voids. The final two seasons are void years. The contract gives the Raiders a lot of cap flexibility going forward.

Cousins served as the Falcons’ backup last season. Despite this, he still got to start eight games in 2025 because starter Michael Penix Jr. was hurt. Cousins led the Falcons to a 5-3 record in his starts with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Falcons finished the season on a four-game winning streak with Cousins starting.

Despite playing well, Cousins’s contract was too large to keep paying him. The Raiders get a reliable QB to mentor Mendoza.

Since Patrick Mahomes sat on the bench in his rookie season, it’s become more common for teams to keep their first-round QBs on the bench for most of their rookie season. With Cousins, the Raiders get a reliable starter. He’ll likely be an upgrade over Geno Smith, who led the league in interceptions in 2025. 

On top of that, Cousins also has experience with the new Raiders head coach, Klint Kubiak. They worked together with the Minnesota Vikings. Kubiak was the QB coach in 2019-2020 and the offensive coordinator in 2021. Cousins made two of his four career Pro Bowl appearances with Kubiak as a coach.