Now that Kirk Cousins' release from the Atlanta Falcons is official, he is expected to be one of the most coveted quarterbacks available in the free agent market. The only question was of where he would end up, but it didn't take long for us to get an idea of Cousins' potential next landing spot.
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Las Vegas Raiders are being looked at as a team to watch for the 38-year-old. Apparently, the Raiders covet a veteran signal-caller to help mentor presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, and Cousins is as good as it gets from that perspective.
Not only would a Cousins-Mendoza QB room be absolute cinema from a comedy standpoint, that's also a major upgrade from the signal-callers Las Vegas had in 2025. Granted, the bar is on the ground for a team that was willingly trotting out Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett, but this is a big step forward, especially since the Minnesota Vikings are likely to roll with Kyler Murray.
The Las Vegas Raiders want to sign Kirk Cousins as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza
The question that persists is if the four-time Pro Bowler would be willing to accept a backup QB, especially when he likely thinks he still has some good football left in the tank as a starter, but I'm not sure the rest of the NFL agrees. At this stage of his career, he might just have to take what he can get.
However, when you consider the Raiders' awful luck at quarterback, he could easily start games. There have been reports that assuming they do draft Mendoza with the top pick, they would want to sit him to start his NFL career, so Klint Kubiak could call upon Cousins to start until Mendoza is ready.
Money is no issue for the Michigan State product, as he's still being paid by the Falcons from the four-year, $180 million deal he signed with them during the 2024 offseason. And its not like the Dirty Birds will want him back now, especially now that they signed Tua Tagovailoa to be their new QB2.
We saw how Cousins was as a mentor to Michael Penix Jr. even though Atlanta royally screwed him over by drafting Penix six weeks after they signed him, so I'm sure he could be the same with Mendoza. He can help him handle the transition to NFL life and the expectations that come with it.
However, Cousins could end up waiting a while to sign should no deal materialize, and he could end up retiring and working in TV, but it seems like he wants to play. The only question that hasn't been answered is where, so if John Spytek acts quickly, a resolution could come sooner than expected.