The Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a one-year, $20 million contract on Thursday, positioning him as a short-term starter and mentor for presumptive No. 1 overall draft pick Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. New coach Klint Kubiak, who worked with Cousins in Minnesota, prefers rookies sit initially. The deal includes roughly half paid by the Raiders—with a $1.3 million minimum and $10 million roster bonus due March 2027—and the rest offset by the Atlanta Falcons after cutting Cousins this offseason.
CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones confirmed the signing, which comes as the Raiders hold the first overall pick and eye Mendoza following his impressive Pro Day on Wednesday. Kubiak stated at the NFL Annual Meeting: 'Ideally, you don't want him to start from Day 1. You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.'
The contract also features team options for two additional years worth $80 million. Cousins, a fourth-round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2012, has risen through franchise tags and big extensions with Minnesota and Atlanta. The deal pushes his career earnings to $341,469,288—third-highest in NFL history behind Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers—with a record $339 million in guaranteed money (99% of his salary fully guaranteed over 11 straight years).
Despite four Pro Bowls, Cousins has just one playoff win in 14 NFL seasons, with his teams failing to advance deep in the postseason. In 2025 with Atlanta, he split time with rookie Michael Penix Jr., was benched late, and finished 8-9.
