Kirk Cousins Agrees To Join Raiders To Keep The Seat Warm For Fernando Mendoza

At first blush, it seems Kirk Cousins just stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire by escaping the Atlanta Falcons last month and agreeing to a deal Thursday with the Las Vegas Raiders.

You'll recall that Cousins went through two years of surprising twists and turns in Atlanta after he initially signed a four-year, $180 million contract to be that team's starting quarterback.

Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Cousins Was Surprised By Penix Jr. Selection

Mere weeks after signing that deal and moving to Atlanta for what he thought would be four years as the face of the franchise, the Falcons drafted another face of the franchise in Michael Penix Jr. And they didn't tell Cousins that was coming until they were basically on the clock on draft day 2024, getting ready to select Penix Jr.

The Falcons were giddy about having both Cousins and Penix Jr.

Cousins was not giddy. Not at all. 

And he was much less happy when he lost his starting job in December of his first year with the Falcons. Why? Well, because Cousins didn't play great and, again, the Falcons were itching to see what Penix Jr. could offer.

So Cousins escaped that situation earlier this offseason when he was released by the Falcons.

Cousins Starts While Mendoza Plays

And now he seems to have signed up for precisely the same situation.

Cousins joins the Raiders on a deal that essentially pays him $20 million for his work in 2026.

But the situation is disclosed. Because in the April 23-25 draft, the Raiders are going to select Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.

And you can bet Raiders fans will want to see Mendoza as soon as possible. And you can bet there will be pressure to play Mendoza if Cousins doesn't produce pretty quickly.

So, again, Cousins finds himself in the same situation of trying to stave off the charge of a rookie first-round pick who wants his job.

Except there are significant differences this time:

Cousins signed in Atlanta under the impression he was the guy. He's signing with the Raiders understanding he's keeping the seat warm for the guy.

(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Cousins And Kubiak Are Familiar

Cousins got a lot of money from the Falcons. That's not necessarily going to be the case with the Raiders. He's looking at backup QB money with incentives that pay him more as long as he starts.

Cousins had multiple opportunities to go elsewhere, including Arizona, where he might have been able to compete for the starting job.

But a source said he felt more comfortable reuniting with Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak, who was the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback coach and, in 2021, the offensive coordinator during three years when Cousins played there.

There's a comfort level between Kubiak and Cousins. And there's a shared vision.

Kubiak spoke at the recently completed NFL annual meeting about wanting to let Mendoza grow into the starting job rather than having it thrust upon him right away.

That suggests Cousins will get runway to start and play while that happens. The only way it doesn't happen? Mendoza shows he's ready right away or Cousins plays poorly.

And, in that case, Kirk Cousins will be very familiar with the situation because he just lived in Atlanta.