The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins just days after new head coach Klint Kubiak said the team planned to add another experienced quarterback to the roster. The contract will pay Cousins $20 million fully guaranteed in 2026, extending his streak of 11 consecutive seasons with guaranteed money. The deal also includes a two year club option worth $80 million and can reach a total value of $172 million over five years, though only the $20 million is fully guaranteed at signing.
Cousins, 37, joins a Raiders team widely expected to select former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The agreement comes less than a month after Cousins was released by the Atlanta Falcons, who moved on two years into the four year, $180 million contract they gave him in 2024. Atlanta will still pay Cousins $8.7 million in 2026, while Las Vegas is responsible for an additional $1.3 million and a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus due on the third day of the 2027 league year.
Before signing Cousins, Aidan O’Connell was the lone quarterback on the Raiders’ roster after the team traded Geno Smith to the New York Jets last month. The move reunites Cousins with Kubiak, who previously worked with him as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings from 2019 to 2021. During that span, Cousins threw for 12,089 yards, 94 touchdowns and 26 interceptions while completing 67.6% of his passes. In 2021, he earned a Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 4,221 yards and 33 touchdowns with a 103.1 passer rating.
Cousins’ tenure in Atlanta was uneven. The Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. just weeks after signing him, and Cousins later battled injuries following his return from a torn Achilles suffered in 2023. He helped Atlanta to a 6–3 start in 2024 before an arm injury contributed to a five game stretch with nine interceptions, leading to his benching late in the season. Although he returned healthy in 2025 and started again after Penix suffered a season ending ACL injury, the Falcons had already committed to a different long term direction.
Last season, Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, finishing with a 47.6 QBR that tied him for 22nd in the league. A fourth round pick by Washington in the 2012 draft, Cousins has thrown for 44,700 yards, 298 touchdowns and 131 interceptions across 14 NFL seasons as he now prepares for the next chapter of his career in Las Vegas.
