Kirk Cousins to Raiders: What No One Is Talking About

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders are not merely surviving the 2026 National Football League offseason, but for the first time in decades, they are thriving, perhaps even prowling through it.

GM John Spytek and Tom Brady have held steady, steering this franchise through some tough decisions, and have made it clear that they learned from last year.

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Show Me, Don’t Tell Me

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback and player in the history of football. While some would debate that, at least none would say he doesn't deserve to be squarely in the middle of a very small group of names in the discussion.

Like Michael Jordan and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, none of them stepped from elite player to elite owner and/or management of a professional franchise. Jordan never made it in basketball but is on the road to doing it in NASCAR, and Johnson adapted and has won multiple titles across multiple sports.

Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Anyone who expected Brady and Spytek to step into this role and be great immediately was either ignorant or blinded by fandom. It is a learning curve.

The talent of Brady was evident at Michigan, but he was not even close to the same QB in Ann Arbor as he was hoisting his final Lombardi Trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady’s greatness was in the fact that he never stopped learning.

There is no way to categorize the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders campaign; from top to bottom, it was an unmitigated disaster. The silver (and black) lining of that dark cloud is that if the team learned, and by all actions, not words, actions, shows that they have, then it was worth it.

From the ashes has sprung a Phoenix, but it’s wearing an eye patch.

What People are Missing About Cousins

Kirk Cousins gushed about being a Raider. “There was a joy and excitement being here, partly probably has to do with the tradition of this organization, specifically getting to put on this logo, one of the coolest logos in all of professional sports. So, it just feels like a real privilege to be here. I remember having that feeling when I was at Michigan State as a freshman, like getting to wear that Spartan head and being a part of that just felt like such a privilege, and I had that feeling today. So, yeah, I just think it's a beautiful place to live, beautiful place to be, and it's a great opportunity."

When Kirk Cousins arrived on campus in East Lansing, Michigan, at Michigan State, the football program, once proud among the nation’s elite and decades earlier with multiple national titles, was also struggling.

Cousins became the first three-year captain since 1949, and even as a true freshman, became a vital team leader.

Most remember the Spartans' return to glory (2020 Big Ten Title), with multiple major wins and even a Rose Bowl-winning season the year before the college playoffs started (2013), when many national pundits said the Spartans would have beaten Florida State for the National Title had the playoff been in effect that season.

Cousins wasn’t the QB, but deserved the MVP. He had taken the Spartan on his back, restored the team’s drive, and, while he had moved on to the National Football League (NFL), he had built it.

His mentorship, his leadership, his integrity, and, most of all, his example showed the way in the locker room for building a championship program.

This is going to be Cousins' 15th NFL season. With Fernando Mendoza being the franchise QB of the future, it is highly doubtful he will be the starting signal caller to lead the Silver and Black to another Super Bowl.

Brady and Spytek are demonstrating they learned from last season, and that a new coach considered the best offensive coordinator in the NFL, the best first-time offensive-minded head coach candidate, and the presumed future franchise QB. The Raider Nation can see the construction materials for where they are going.

I watched Cousins in High School. I covered every single day of his career and Michigan State. I know him. I have seen firsthand what Captain Kirk can do.

No one can lay a foundation better. No one can take the building materials, follow the architectural schematics in Klint Kubiak's brain, and the general-contractor mindset of Spytek and Brady to shape tomorrow.

Kirk Cousins is a lot of things. I have known both him and his family for over 20 years. He, his parents, and his brother are far from disingenuous; they are authentic people. They won’t lie to you, and they don’t speak in hyperbole.

Cousins knows what his job is. He gets it. He understood it when he stepped on campus at Michigan State, and he knew it earlier this week when he stepped into the Raiders facility.

His words should have inspired his fan base, ownership, and teammates.

No one is talking about the fact that Kirk Cousins has done this before. He isn’t fake. He is highly intelligent. When these words came out of his mouth, it should have been a sign to everyone in Raider Nation.

“I love seeing the quotes from Al Davis all over the building. I think my favorite is that ‘The greatness of the Raiders lies in its future.’ I think that's such a cool quote to really say the best is yet to come. And I think that's a quote filled with hope, and I love walking by it every day. I love seeing the Autumn Wind written on the wall, too, as you walk in.”

Kirk Cousins Michigan State — Oct. 9, 2010: Michigan State 34, Michigan 17, Michigan Stadium: MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins celebrates a Spartans touchdown. Msufeat 100910 Rr34 | Rashaun Rucker, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC

If Brady, Spytek, Kubiak, and Mendoza pull this off, don’t forget what Cousins did. I, for one, hope he gets to ask another NFL franchise, “You like that?”

Show Me, Don’t Tell Me

What People are Missing About Cousins

Our Latest Podcast Digs Deeper Into Cousins and the Raiders