Kirk Cousins, 37, has found his new home for the 2026 NFL season. He will head to the Southwest and join the Las Vegas Raiders.
Videos by FanBuzz
Cousins' agent announced the news on Thursday morning with a post on X. The veteran quarterback then confirmed it with an interesting post. He wrote, "The Autumn Wind..." which is a line from a poem about the Raiders.
The terms of this contract between Cousins and the Raiders remain unknown for the time being.
The move sets the Raiders up with a veteran presence ahead of an anticipated move. The belief is that the team will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which takes place later this month.
Bringing Cousins into the Silver and Black fold achieves two things. The first is that gives new head coach Klint Kubiak some options. He said at the NFL's Annual Meeting in Arizona that "ideally," the young guy could sit for a while and learn from the veteran. Cousins can step into this mentor role early in the 2026 NFL season.
The second thing achieved by this deal is a reunion. The veteran quarterback will once again play for Kubiak, the man with whom he spent three seasons (2019-2021). Kubiak coached quarterbacks for the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 and 2020. He then transitioned into offensive coordinator in 2021.
Two of these seasons featured the former Michigan State quarterback throwing for more than 4,000 yards and more than 30 touchdowns. He completed at least 66% of his attempted passes all three seasons.
Kubiak departed the Vikings after the 2021 season, but Cousins remained through 2023. A torn Achilles ended his tenure in purple, so he headed to the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million deal.
The veteran went 12-10 over two seasons (2024-2025). He had bright moments with the NFC South team, but he also led the league in interceptions (16) in 2024 while dealing with an arm injury.
The Falcons ultimately released Cousins after the 2025 season and gave him the opportunity to sign with any team. He will take advantage while joining the Raiders.
