Raiders' Super Bowl Odds Rise Following Reported Kirk Cousins Signing

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins has a new home, as he's reportedly signing a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Cousins was released by the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, giving him a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere. Even though the Raiders have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Cousins is heading to the AFC for the first time in his career.

Kirk Cousins is signing with the Raiders, per @MikeMcCartney7.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026

The Raiders are expected to take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Indiana quarterback at -20000 to be the No. 1 pick, but it's possible the Raiders aren't planning to start him right away.

At the very least, Las Vegas is bringing in some competition in Cousins, who is a four-time Pro Bowler. A ruptured Achilles in 2023 derailed Cousins' 2024 season, but he played pretty well after taking over for the injured Michael Penix Jr. in the 2025 season.

The veteran completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 scores and five interceptions in 10 games (eight starts). Atlanta was 5-3 in the games that Cousins started last season.

Oddsmakers at DraftKings set the Raiders at +20000 to win the Super Bowl heading into the offseason, but that number has moved up quite significantly with the signing of Cousins and the team's decision to keep Maxx Crosby after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through.

Las Vegas is now +15000 to win Super Bowl LXI, putting them ahead of the Arizona Cardinals (+40000), Miami Dolphins (+30000) and New York Jets (+20000). Las Vegas is tied with the Cleveland Browns and behind Cousins' old team -- Atlanta (+11000) -- as of Thursday morning.

It'll be interesting to see if Cousins has a chance to play for the Raiders in 2026 or if he's simply being brought in to mentor Mendoza. Las Vegas won just three games last season with Geno Smith as the primary starter, and it's still heavily favored to miss the playoffs (-900) in 2026 based on the latest odds.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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