With Raiders, Kirk Cousins Enters New Stage of Career

The Las Vegas Raiders' front office entered this offseason focused on improving. More than anything else, Raiders general manager John Spytek aimed to equip his team with the coaching and roster talent needed to compete regularly in today's National Football League.

Not only did Spytek and the front office enter the season focused on improvement, but they also had the resources to do so legitimately. Las Vegas entered the offseason with more money to spend in free agency than nearly any other team, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and nine additional picks.

Watch Kirk Cousins Discuss Mandatory Minicamp and More Below

Measuring Cousins' Impact

Part of the Raiders' plans, along with drafting quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, was to set Mendoza up for success. Adding Cousins, a veteran quarterback who has spent over a decade in the league as both a starter and a backup, was a significant part of their plan.

Las Vegas added Cousins for his vast experience, as he has started more games than every other quarterback on their roster has played combined. That experience, in combination with his experience with Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko, should bode well for the Raiders in many respects.

Cousins' arrival means many different things to different people. Cousins' importance is far-reaching, as his presence affects several other team members, not just himself. Cousins is, in a sense, a coach on the field for Kubiak and Janocko, as they start their respective tenures in Las Vegas.

Cousins will help Kubiak and Janocko install the foundation of their offense, which should be in effect for years to come. This is vital. Cousins will also help grow Las Vegas' quarterbacks room, as his wealth of knowledge and experience will directly rub off on Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell.

Cousins will impact the rest of Las Vegas' offense, as his prior experience with the coaching staff will help them learn the offense more quickly. This should help shorten the unit's learning curve in an offense-driven league.

After impacting the offensive coaching staff and his fellow teammates on the offensive side of the ball, in theory, Cousins should also impact the defense. By helping the offense improve from what it was the last couple of seasons, they should be able to play complementary football more often.

After being dominated on both sides of the ball, due in part to poor quarterback play, Las Vegas' improved roster and the addition of Cousins should have an instant return on investment for the Raiders this upcoming season. It should also impact them well after Cousins is no longer in town.

Yet, for all of the impact Cousins will have on others, it is worth noting the impact his arrival in Las Vegas will have on him personally. The veteran quarterback has had an impressive career, but the 2026 season marks another phase of that career for Cousins.

“I remember when I signed with the Falcons, I reached out to Peyton Manning, and I just said, 'Hey, you signed with a new team at a similar stage in your career, going from Indy [Indianapolis] to Denver. How did you handle that?' And Peyton had a great -- because you want to go in there like guns blazing with all these thoughts, and Peyton had a great point,” Cousins said following mandatory minicamp.

“He said, 'Kirk, I think there's a part of you that needs to just kind of just ask questions, be a good listener, show up, kind of observe, don't go in there telling everybody how things need to be done.' And so, I took that approach in Atlanta, and I think it's smart. And then at some point you do have to kind of take over, and Peyton was saying come training camp and near the end of training camp, I felt like the time had come for me to start to really assert myself."

Cousins elaborated, giving insight into how he has approached his first few weeks on the field with his new teammates. Cousins' arrival is critical to the Raiders' success for several reasons.

“So, I've kind of been feeling that out through [Organized Team Activities], just trying to have good awareness of 'Let me ask questions, let me learn, let me pick up this system,' but then also, I got to be myself and bring personality to practice and compete, and I think sometimes you can't help yourself at practice," Cousins said.

"You just start playing football, and we're in competitive periods, we're in moving the ball, and I just start having fun and running my mouth in a good way, but at the same time, I think it's important that I do listen and ask questions and observe too."

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