Kirk Cousins Would 'Love' to Help Mentor Raiders' Fernando Mendoza, 'I Don't Want to Be Entitled'

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins fully grasps his role after having signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Cousins looks likely to open the 2026 NFL season as the starter, but the franchise will eventually turn to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

"I understand what I signed up for, and we're all in this together," Cousins said to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. "We're just trying to help the Raiders win football games, and I don't want to be entitled or be given something I didn't earn. I think it's important that the best player plays, or the one who can help the team win the most. That's really what the perspective needs to be. If it's not me, it's not me. We'll all be working together and trying to help this team win and let the chips fall where they may."

To that end, the four-time Pro Bowler is happy to serve as a mentor of sorts while competing with Mendoza at practice.

"I'd love to be a help," he said. "I'd love for Fernando to go on to an outstanding career and look back and say, 'I think Kirk's time together with us in the quarterback room was helpful to my development as a player.' That's all part of this and wanting to be an asset to this organization and this quarterback room, and that includes helping Fernando go on to have a tremendous career."

Knowing the situation ahead of time is a key distinction separating Cousins' move to Las Vegas from his tenure on the Atlanta Falcons.

Most assumed Atlanta found its QB solution for the next few years when it signed Cousins to a $180 million contract in 2024. Instead, the Falcons turned around and used the No. 8 overall pick on a prospect (Michael Penix Jr.) on the older side for an incoming rookie.

Cousins said last year on Netflix's Quarterback series he felt "a little bit misled" by Atlanta's management.

There was no chance of that happening with the Raiders.

Cousins signed with Las Vegas weeks ahead of the 2026 draft, but pretty much everyone knew by that point that Mendoza would be the pick. The 37-year-old couldn't possibly have been blindsided when the team officially submitted the choice.

As long as the two signal-callers are fighting for the same job, that can create some tension at times. The pairing also has the potential to be mutually beneficial.