Another quarterback is off the free agency market. Former Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a five-year, $172 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday. The news was first announced by Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney.
While the deal itself sounds massive for the 37-year-old gunslinger, the contract will essentially be a one-year, $20 million guaranteed contract for Cousins. He fills an immediate void for Las Vegas prior to the NFL draft in late April, where it is widely expected the Raiders will take Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall selection.
Cousins will reunite with his former Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was announced as the Raiders’ head coach after the Super Bowl. It could also mean that Cousins will begin the 2026 season as the starter for Las Vegas.
At the NFL’s annual league meeting in Arizona earlier this week, Kubiak mentioned he wouldn’t want a rookie quarterback to start Week 1; he would rather them watch and learn as they grow accustomed to NFL speed.
“Ideally, you don’t want (Mendoza) to start from Day 1,” Kubiak said, via NFL.com. “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. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
That ‘mature adult’ seems to be Cousins, who, depending on the 2026 NFL schedule, could see action against the Denver Broncos in the early part of the season. Cousins is 2-2 all-time against the Broncos, his most recent game in a Falcons uniform in 2024. Cousins didn’t even finish the game, finishing with a statline of 18-of-27 for 173 yards and one interception. He was also sacked three times in a game where Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for four touchdowns in a 38-6 beatdown.
Welcome to the AFC West, Kirk, where it may just be the toughest division in football.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL news: QB Kirk Cousins signs with Broncos’ division rival
About the Author
