Kirk Cousins, Raiders Agree to Contract as Fernando Mendoza Eyed for No. 1 Pick in NFL Mock Drafts

Four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins agreed to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

His agent, Mike McCartney, confirmed the news Thursday.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cousins will sign a five-year, $172 million contract with the Raiders that, "in reality," is a one-year deal worth $20 million fully guaranteed.

"The Falcons will pay Cousins $8.7 million this season, the Raiders another $1.3 million and Las Vegas also agreed to pay its new QB a fully-guaranteed $10 million roster bonus on the third day of the 2027 new league year," Schefter reported.

The Atlanta Falcons cut the veteran quarterback prior to the start of the NFL's 2026 league year, saving themselves tens of millions in salary commitments.

The market for Cousins this time around was going to nowhere near where it was when Atlanta signed him to a four-year, $180 million deal.

Having suffered a torn Achilles in 2023, the 37-year-old saw his performance decline upon returning to the field. He threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and an NFL-high 16 interceptions in his first season with the Falcons.

Cousins opened 2025 as the backup behind Michael Penix Jr. before an ACL injury to Penix pressed him into starting duty again. Across the final seven games, he had 1,471 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five picks.

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Once he officially became a free agent, Cousins was bound to land on his feet somewhere.

This past season provided another reminder of how valuable a good backup or spot starter can be. The Cincinnati Bengals had to scramble and trade for Joe Flacco when Jake Browning had a terrible three-game run. The Washington Commanders' playoff hopes were toast when they needed to lean on Marcus Mariota after Jayden Daniels went down. The same was true for the Kansas City Chiefs, who had to turn to Chris Oladokun with their slim postseason odds on the line.

Even at this stage of his career, Cousins has a reasonably high floor. He shouldn't be the only viable QB1 option for a team but can be trusted to steer the offense in a positive direction.

The state of this year's quarterback classes in free agency and the draft only added to his value.

Daniel Jones, who suffered his own Achilles tear, was generally considered to be the best signal-caller on the market, while Indiana standout Fernando Mendoza is head and shoulders above his peers in the NFL draft.

There aren't a lot of great solutions for teams trying to address the passing game.

Signing Cousins isn't going to excite Las Vegas' fanbase, yet it brings needed depth to the QB room.

As one of the biggest spenders this offseason, the Raiders aren't content to tread water and rebuild in 2026. Signing Cousins, when Mendoza is the consensus choice for the No. 1 pick, hammers that message home.

The team can plausibly argue there's a quarterback battle in training camp, and Cousins will loom in the background if Mendoza struggles more than expected as a rookie.

An agreement with Cousins also comes days after coach Klint Kubiak expressed his opinion that a lot of rookie quarterbacks shouldn't be the Week 1 starter. A slower transition into the starting role is better for their long-term development.

Now, the Raiders might be applying that theory.