The Las Vegas Raiders are widely expected to make Fernando Mendoza the face of their franchise.
They’ve got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Mendoza is the guy, the Heisman winner and national champion from Indiana, a quarterback to lead the Raiders into the future.
The Raiders may want a veteran to join him in the room, to help him along and potentially start in the early going if Mendoza needs just a bit more seasoning.
It sounds like the Raiders have their sights set on one guy in particular: Kirk Cousins.
This is what The Athletic’s Dianna Russini posted on X on Wednesday afternoon:
“Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to show interest in Kirk Cousins as they look for a veteran QB addition to help develop presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.”
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It’s been rumored in recent days that the Raiders would be looking for a move like this, and it became more obvious when they traded Geno Smith away to the Jets.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting something done.
Cousins was under contract with the Atlanta Falcons, but he was expected to be released soon after the new league year started on Wednesday. That would make him a free agent, free to sign with anyone.
The Raiders will certainly be giving him a call, and potentially already have.
The 37-year old Cousins has started 164 NFL games and has 298 career touchdown passes. He may not be a starting-level QB himself anymore, but he’s seen it all, and he could help Mendoza settle into the NFL.
It seems like a role Cousins might be able to embrace, too, and Raiders fans will wait to find out if it ends up coming together like this.
