Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins sees a golden opportunity to end his career on a high note.
The Raiders signed Cousins to a five-year, $172 million contract in free agency. The 37-year-old has seen a lot of the game, but has faced some adversity in recent years. In an interview with the team’s official website, he said he wants to use the twilight of his career to leave a mark on the organization.
“For me, I got more football behind me than ahead of me,” he told Raiders.com. “And as a result, I see my time here as a great opportunity to finish strong. To leave a mark, to hopefully send things in the right direction, such that when I’m done playing, I can be proud of not only what we did in my time here in Vegas, but then what the Raiders are still doing.”
Cousins was drafted by the then-Washington Redskins out of Michigan State in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
The selection was controversial at the time because Washington had already drafted Baylor QB Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick. Cousins appeared in 14 games in his first three seasons in relief of Griffin, but injuries hampered his career, and Cousins won the starting gig outright in 2015, leading the team to a playoff appearance.
His best season as a passer came in 2016, when he threw for 4,917 yards and 25 TDs against 12 interceptions.
In 2018, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. He spent 6 seasons as the Vikings’ starter. In 2023, Cousins tore his Achilles tendon midway through the season. He signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2024 free agency cycle.
That signing was also mired in controversy after it was revealed that the Falcons tampered with Cousins in violation of league rules. Another layer of intrigue was added when the Falcons drafted Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 Draft. At 35 years old and coming off a major injury that hampered his movement, Cousins struggled all season and was benched after 14 games. He was named the backup to Penix in 2025, but started 8 games after Penix went down with a season-ending knee injury.
During his time with the Vikings, Cousins briefly crossed paths with current Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. Kubiak served as quarterbacks coach from 2019 to 2020, then as offensive coordinator in 2021.
“We had a lot of conversations and meetings to learn how he sees football, and he was able to learn how I see it,” Cousins said. “He called plays for me in 2021, which I look back now and feel like that was objectively probably the best season I ever had. And I think a lot of that has to do with Klint and his ability to put together strong game plans and call games well. I think he showed that this past season in Seattle and the way he called games throughout the playoffs and on the big stage in the Super Bowl.”
Cousins’s future is not set in stone, however. The Raiders own the first overall pick and are widely expected to take 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Playoff National Champion Fernando Mendoza with the top pick, though Kubiak has previously stated that, in the ideal scenario, he would not start the rookie from day one.
Whoever the starter is come Week 1, the Raiders have a young offense led by 2025 sixth overall pick, running back Ashton Jeanty; 2024 first-round pick, tight end Brock Bowers; 2023 third-round pick Tre Tucker; and fourth-year wide receiver Jalen Nailor, whom the Raiders signed in free agency.
Cousins wants to be a positive influence on that young core.
“Going into Year 15 now, [I’m] trying to set a standard in the locker room. ... Just trying to be an available resource to everybody in the locker room that would want to ask questions or want to learn about what my journey has been like in this league, I'd love to help them anyway that I can,” he said.
