With the Las Vegas Raiders pretty much telling the NFL world, without actually doing so, that they are going to draft Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they might be making another move.
Raiders Might Bring In NFL Veteran QB
On Wednesday, Dianna Russini, Senior NFL Insider for The Athletic, posted on X a very interesting tidbit. It appears that the Raiders might have interest in bringing in free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, who played last season for the Atlanta Falcons and was released by the franchise.
Russini wrote, “Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to show interest in Kirk Cousins as they look for a veteran QB addition to help develop presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.”
Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to show interest in Kirk Cousins as they look for a veteran QB addition to help develop presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. pic.twitter.com/TFNo023SnY
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 11, 2026
Mendoza not only won the Heisman Trophy last season, but led the Indiana Hoosiers to a national championship in Curt Cignetti’s second season as head coach there. The Raiders are looking to do a total reboot of their offense after a really bad season under former head coach Pete Carroll.
Cousins has also played for the Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings in his NFL career. He has been a four-time Pro Bowler and will be an ideal mentor for Mendoza. The veteran quarterback earned one Pro Bowl selection while with the Washington franchise, and three more while playing for the Vikings.
He played six seasons each with both Washington and Minnesota before his last two seasons with the Falcons. Cousins wasn’t in the future cards for Atlanta, as it has turned its attention to having Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa be the Falcons’ regular starting quarterback.
Mendoza will enter the NFL world full of accolades and statistics. He’s shown an ability to understand and comprehend college-level offensive schemes. The Raiders probably see a bright future for Mendoza in the league. He’s going to a team that will have a new head coach in Klint Kubiak.
Kubiak is coming off serving as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ offense roll on to a Super Bowl 60 championship over the New England Patriots.
With an offensive mind like Kubiak now running the Raiders, along with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady as part of the Raiders’ ownership, it looks like Las Vegas will be rolling out the red carpet for Mendoza.
Last season, according to the PFSN NFL QB Impact Metric, which is measured through the regular season, Cousins had an impact score of 71.1 and graded out to a C-.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
