Kirk Cousins

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• Raiders' Kirk Cousins: First QB on field at OTAs

  05/20/2026 • By RotoWire

  During the team period of Wednesday's OTA practice, Cousins was the first quarterback on the field, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports. Per the report, Cousins was followed by Aidan O'Connell and then No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, whom the Raiders continue to ease into their offense. While coach Klint Kubiak has yet to provide a timeline for when he'd like to name a starting QB, McFadden suggests that Cousins is the favorite to open the season as the team's No. 1 option, given his ample NFL experience and familiarity with Kubiak's offense. That said, Mendoza -- who has been "as advertised," per Kubiak -- does have time to change that narrative ahead of Week 1, and even if Cousins does handle signal-caller duties for Las Vegas out of the gate in 2026, there's little doubt that Mendoza will rise to the top of the depth chart eventually, given where he was drafted.

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• Raiders' Kirk Cousins: Raiders draft QB first overall

  04/24/2026 • By RotoWire

  Cousins is set for a quarterback competition with rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports. The Raiders drafted Mendoza on Thursday after signing Cousins earlier in April. According to McFadden, the Raiders' top brass would prefer not to thrust a rookie quarterback into action immediately, but GM John Spytek said the best player will start. Cousins' edge in experience gives the veteran signal-caller a viable chance to beat out Mendoza, at least initially, though it wouldn't be surprising to see Mendoza eventually take over the starting job at some point during the 2026 regular season.

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• Raiders' Kirk Cousins: Reaches deal with Las Vegas

  04/02/2026 • By RotoWire

  Cousins agreed Thursday with the Raiders on a contract, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. After being cut by the Falcons earlier in the offseason, Cousins had drawn interest from several teams who were keen on bringing him aboard as a backup. He ultimately opted to head to Las Vegas, where he'll at least temporarily slot in atop the depth chart. The Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft later this month, but Cousins -- who is in line to earn $20 million fully guaranteed for playing the 2026 season -- per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, could still emerge as the Week 1 starter if Las Vegas isn't eager to rush Mendoza into action right away to begin his NFL career. During his final season in Atlanta, Cousins made 10 appearances (eight starts) and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt and a 10:5 TD:INT.

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• Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Expected to be cut by Atlanta

  02/07/2026 • By RotoWire

  The Falcons are expected to cut Cousins before the new league year starts in March, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The Falcons worked with Cousins on Tuesday to restructure the veteran quarterback's contract by modifying the final two years of the deal to give Atlanta more cap flexibility and incentivize a release sooner rather than later, as Cousins would be slated to get $67.9 million guaranteed were he to be on the roster at the start of the league year. That leaves the Falcons with questions over who they will add to their quarterback room with Michael Penix (knee), while Cousins contemplates joining a team in 2026, including a reunion with the Vikings, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. Cousins appeared in 10 regular-season games (eight starts) with Atlanta in 2025, when he completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.

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• Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Reworks contract with Atlanta

  01/06/2026 • By RotoWire

  Cousins agreed Tuesday to restructure the final two seasons of his four-year, $180 million contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports. As part of the restructure, Cousins agreed to reduce his base salary for the 2026 season from a non-guaranteed $35 million to $2.1 million, but the amended deal doesn't necessarily mean that the veteran quarterback will stick around with Atlanta through the upcoming season. Cousins is still guaranteed $67.9 million for the 2027 season, with that money scheduled to vest March 13, the third day of the new league year. Given that Atlanta would have no interest in being tied to Cousins at that amount of money in 2027, the 37-year-old signal-caller may have to agree to another restructure in order to avoid being designated for a post-June 1 release. After opening the 2025 season in a backup role, Cousins reclaimed the starting job for the Falcons' final seven games after Michael Penix (knee) tore his ACL in Week 11. In his 10 total appearances, Cousins completed 166 of 269 pass attempts (61.7 percent) for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions while tacking on a rushing touchdown.

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