It took a little longer than expected, but Kirk Cousins has finally found a new NFL home. The former Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings, and Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback is on his way to Southern Nevada to play for the Las Vegas Raiders. He will reunite with former Minnesota staffer and new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. He also will be mentoring Fernando Mendoza this season.
ESPN's Adam Schefter relayed the news from Cousins' agent Mike McCartney he is off to Las Vegas.
Kirk Cousins is signing with the Raiders, per @MikeMcCartney7.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026
With the Silver and Black having the No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders are most certainly taking former Indiana Hoosiers starting quarterback with that top selection. Given that the Michigan State Spartans share a rivalry with Indiana, this adds a level of intrigue to this. Most importantly, Cousins is only going to the Raiders, knowing all too well that he is going to be asked to mentor Mendoza moving forward.
Not to say Cousins was a reluctant mentor to Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta, but he is signing up for this.
Kirk Cousins signs with Las Vegas Raiders to mentor Fernando Mendoza
All offseason long, Cousins had been tied to many NFL franchises, including the Green Bay Packers. While he did prove to be a serviceable starter over his two years in Atlanta, Cousins is on the wrong side of 35. Futhermore, he is no longer viewed as anything close to a franchise quarterback. Surely, he will have a tremendous career in the media when all is said and done, but he has money to make!
The interesting part in all this is Cousins seems to be fully embracing a role he had previously been reluctant to. Prior to him playing poorly down the stretch in 2024, he was every bit a starting quarterback in the NFL. Although he did seem to have a friendly rapport with Penix in Atlanta, a regime change, as well as the finances of his four-year deal led to Atlanta moving on from Cousins.
The crazy part in all this is Cousins and Mendoza seem to have the same kind of personality. They are both so incredibly enthusiastic. In all honesty, they kind of play like each other, with Mendoza being the more athletic version of Cousins. With Kubiak on board and Tom Brady part of the organization, how is this not going to work out for all parties involved. They are the Raiders, but they are looking up.
Now that Cousins is off to Las Vegas, it will be fascinating to see how much he plays there, if at all...