Kirk Cousins expected to sign with Raiders as bridge quarterback to mentor potential draft pick Mendoza
W.G. Ramirez
Host · Writer
After Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek and coach Klint Kubiak both said there was no rush to start a rookie at quarterback, even though the team is expected to take Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in this month’s NFL draft, it appears they’ve landed a veteran who can mentor and take the snaps early on.
Kirk Cousins will reportedly sign with the Raiders, per Mike McCartney.
Congrats @KirkCousins8 agreeing to a contract with the @Raiders
— Mike McCartney (@MikeMcCartney7) April 2, 2026
Cousins has 14 years invested in the league, having played for Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
The 37-year-old ranks sixth in the NFL with both 3,934 completions and 44,700 yards passing since entering the league.
His 298 passing touchdowns are the fifth-most since 2012.
With 35 collegiate starts under his belt, some believe Mendoza is ready to assume the QB1 role at the highest level immediately.
Kubiak said otherwise at the annual league meeting on Tuesday.
“I think in a perfect world, he’s watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team," Kubiak said about a rookie quarterback watching and learning from a veteran. “But, the situation is, you might have that player, you might not have that veteran to show him the way. So he might come in and have to play immediately.
“But, you’d rather him learn, learn before he gets in the game. You don’t always get to pick. It doesn’t work out the exact way you want it to. But at the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re bringing in an individual, drafting a guy that’s mature enough to handle some adversity, whether it’s him starting the first game or him starting the first game Year 2."
The Raiders traded Geno Smith to the New York Jets and have just Aidan O’Connell on their roster at quarterback. O’Connell has appeared in 21 games, with 17 starts, since the Raiders drafted him out of Purdue in 2023, but does not appear be the ideal veteran Kubiak is looking for to mentor Mendoza.
Cousins is on the market as a free agent, and could conceivably be the perfect bridge quarterback for Las Vegas after playing the same role for the Falcons.
“Sometimes they have to play from Day 1," Kubiak also said. “It’s our job as a coach to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player, though, if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show."
