The Las Vegas Raiders have added a veteran quarterback who could serve as either a bridge starter or a mentor for potential first-round pick Fernando Mendoza.
Possibly both.
Kirk Cousins has agreed to terms Thursday on a deal to join the Raiders after spending the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
ESPN reported the deal will pay Cousins $20 million in guaranteed money this season and includes a club option for two years at $80 million. It could be worth up to $172 million over five years.
Cousins, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2012, previously spent time with the Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings.
The 37-year-old quarterback has made four Pro Bowls and thrown for 44,700 yards and 298 touchdowns in 174 career games.
While the Raiders are expected to use the No. 1 pick on Mendoza in the upcoming NFL draft, there has been some indication they would prefer to let him take an internship of sorts under a veteran starter early in his career.
“I think in a perfect world that he’s watching a mature adult go and run the offense and run the team, but the situation is you might have that player and you might not,” coach Klint Kubiak said during the league meetings in Phoenix this week. “You might not have that veteran just showing the way and he might have to come in and play immediately. But you’d rather him learn before he gets in the game.”
Cousins could be an ideal candidate for such a role, especially since he spent three seasons working with Kubiak in Minnesota. Kubiak was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 and 2020 before stepping in as offensive coordinator in 2021.
It’s also a pretty low-risk move for the Raiders.
Aidan O’Connell had been the only quarterback on the roster. While general manager John Spytek expressed confidence in him, Spytek acknowledged the possibility of adding to the room before the draft.
“Aidan’s played a lot of good football in this league,” he said in Phoenix. “He has started and thrown for 300 yards in games. He’s a great teammate. He’s smart.
“Obviously, he’s the only quarterback on the roster right now, and, you know, in a premium position, I think it’s a fair question to ask. We’re considering a bunch of different things right now, and I think we’ll have some answers here in the coming weeks.”
Cousins is a 14-year veteran and played the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He has thrown for 44,700 yards and 298 touchdowns in 174 games.
Last season he backed up Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta a year after signing a free-agent deal with with the Falcons. He played 10 games and started eight. He completed 166 of 269 passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
He was benched in the 2024 season in favor of Penix after starting 14 games. He completed 303 of 453 passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Cousins also has played for Washington and Minnesota. He reached the pinnacle of his career with the Vikings, leading them to the playoffs three of his six seasons in Minnesota and compiling a 50-37-1 record as a starter.
Spytek and Kubiak led a contingent of about 10 members of the Raiders organization to Bloomington, Indiana, on Wednesday for Mendoza’s pro day on his college campus. They met with him afterward and are expected to host him at the Raiders facility next week.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.