The Raiders have plenty of mountain left to climb. Las Vegas finished as the worst team in the NFL in 2025, failing miserably to live up to the hopeful expectations that came with the arrival of Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll and general manager Geno Smith.
Both are now gone. In their spots are new head coach Klint Kubiak and Cousins, with room saved for Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy-winning QB from Indiana who most expect the Raiders to select with the No. 1 pick in the April 23 2026 draft.
At last week’s NFL convention in Phoenix, Kubiak revealed that he would prefer to enter 2026 with a veteran at the top of the quarterback depth chart to give his offense a mature leader capable of guiding the league into its new world. A few days later, Cousins agreed to a deal with the Raiders, where they addressed Kubiak’s desire under center by handing him the veteran he sought, one willing to carry out Kubiak’s vision.
“Going into year 15 now, [I’m] trying to set a standard in the locker room,” Cousins said. “Just trying to be an available resource for anybody in the locker room that wants to ask questions or wants to learn about how my journey has been in this league, I’d love to help them in any way I can.”
For Cousins, he could have explored several options as a free agent following Atlanta’s decision to part ways with him earlier this offseason. His chances of returning to Minnesota dried up when the Vikings signed Kyler Murray shortly after the Cardinals released him, and when the Jets acquired Smith in a trade with the Raiders, that landing spot disappeared as well.
Las Vegas made the best of Cousins, giving the Raiders an immediate starting pick to throw into the lineup. More importantly, Cousins provides Kubiak — who Cousins played for in Minnesota, where Kubiak served as QBs coach and offensive coordinator from 2019-2021 — with an experienced veteran who can handle the responsibilities of the job while the Raiders get Mendoza acclimated and ready to eventually take the field.
“I think it starts with the coaching staff. I was really excited to be able to work with coaches that I worked with in the past,” Cousins told the team’s Amber Theoharis. “I had some of my best years playing with them.”
Cousins also talked about the opportunity to play with up-and-coming players like tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty as part of the call to go to the desert.
“I think this is a team that has a lot of young talent and that they’re building something special, and I want to be a part of that,” Cousins said.