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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins decided that the Silver and Black was the best place to continue his career.
The expectation is for the Raiders to take former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, and having Cousins in the fold will allow Las Vegas to avoid forcing the signal-caller into the starting role if he’s not ready.
Last season with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins posted a 76.0 overall PFF grade, placing him 14th among 43 qualified quarterbacks. His passing grade also landed at 75.0, ranking 14th at the position.
Over 289 dropbacks, he threw for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, producing nine big-time throws while committing five turnover-worthy plays.
During an April 8 appearance on “Good Morning Football,” Cousins was asked whether Raiders minority owner Tom Brady played a role in his decision-making.
“Tom’s been great,” Cousins said. “I’m going to do my homework before I move my family and sign somewhere. So I had a lot of conversations with people here in the Raiders organization, and one of those conversations was with Tom. I texted him, asked him to call me when he could, and he actually FaceTimed me to kind of get on the same page, understand his vision for the organization, what he saw ahead, and whether I would be a good fit for it.
“I got off the call and called my wife [and] I said that was a really life-giving call with Tom. He gets it. He’s been where I’ve been and then some. And I think he understands what it needs to look like, what it will look like. I felt like a shot in the arm after talking to him, and I felt like that was a big nudge for me to come to Vegas.”
Kirk Cousins Talks More About Tom Brady
Moreover, Cousins noted that Brady didn’t just call him to convince the veteran to join the Raiders. The former Falcons QB noted that while Brady might not be around every day, he does make himself available.
“[Brady] was in the building [on April 7] for our first OTA day,” Cousins added. “Didn’t expect that, but he stopped by the quarterback room, and I was able to catch up with him in the cafeteria. So he just wants to be a resource.
“I don’t know that he’s going to be around all the time, but he’s always a phone call or text away. And I think to have a guy who’s won seven Super Bowls a phone call or text away, who’s embedded in your organization, it’s got to be a positive.”
Former Raiders QB Gets Honest About Kirk Cousins Signing
With Las Vegas now having its veteran that can play in front of Mendoza and mentor him, former Raiders QB Rich Gannon shared his thoughts on the signing.
“I think it makes a lot of sense, and I think you can look into it a number of different ways,” Gannon said in an April 2 video from the New York Post. “He’s going to be the starter in Week 1. I don’t think we need to get that far. I just think bringing in a quality player and person like Kirk Cousins is important.
“He’s got, you know, 14 years of experience; he’s got 167 starts under his belt. He’s thrown for almost 45,000 yards and almost 300 touchdowns [and] he’s played well for a number of different organizations.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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