Why Kirk Cousins' Bounce-Back Will Fuel the Raiders'

The Las Vegas Raiders are on their fourth head coach in as many seasons. Kirk Cousins and, eventually, Fernando Mendoza will mark the eighth and ninth different starting quarterbacks Las Vegas has had in the same time frame. In a quarterback-driven league, the Raiders have had none.

A lack of competent coaching and overall talent has doomed the Raiders, but their lack of a quality quarterback has been one of the most pressing issues they have yet to solve. The moves Las Vegas made this offseason were those of a front office determined to solidify the quarterback position.

Rebuilding Raiders

Las Vegas has spent the offseason completely revamping every facet of the team. The Raiders will have a significantly different look in 2026, with the quarterback position among the most improved on a team that added at least one player to nearly every position group.

On paper, the Raiders have had a productive offseason. However, none of the offseason additions they made will matter if they cannot play well together on Sundays. This is especially the case for Cousins and the rest of the Raiders' quarterbacks.

As they enter a new season with yet another new head coach and an overhauled roster, Las Vegas must hit the ground running in training camp.

Kubiak's Confidence

It was no secret that the Raiders were going to draft Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. However, with Las Vegas still a ways away from legitimately expecting to compete for a playoff spot in 2026, they had no need to rush Mendoza onto the field with a newly assembled roster and coaching staff.

The Raiders wanted to bring Mendoza along slowly. Adding a proven veteran like Cousins enabled it. In Cousins, the Raiders have a veteran who is not only familiar with head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko but has played in several other offenses.

This has given Cousins the experience necessary to help lead a newly assembled Raiders offense long enough for Mendoza to develop. Assuming Cousins stays healthy, the addition was a seamless one for the Raiders. Kubiak is confident Cousins will return to form.

"Yeah, if you watched Kirk [Cousins] play his last four games in Atlanta, you saw what he can do. He's getting healthier. He's played really good football for us this time of year, and we're counting on him come the season,” Kubiak said.

Cousins' Comeback

The Raiders are banking on Cousins to get them through at least the first half or so of the 2026 season. Given the sheer number of changes to the Raiders' coaching staff and roster, it seems inevitable that if he is healthy, Cousins will be better than the signal callers Las Vegas has had lately.

Yet, as the Raiders know all too well after the past two seasons, health is something that can never be guaranteed in the National Football League. Las Vegas needs Cousins to stay healthy as long as possible throughout the season to give them the best chance of winning immediately.

"Yeah. I definitely think every day, week, month, there's been progress since I first tore my Achilles, and it's been a progression, and I just keep learning more, keep getting better," Cousins said after mandatory minicamp.

"And so, in that sense, I do feel healthier now than I did then, and I'm optimistic that that'll help me on the field, but we'll see where it goes. But that's kind of the goal is to just keep building, keep getting healthier, and hopefully it helps me on the field."

Cousins' Impact on Mendoza, Raiders' QB Room

Las Vegas has worked hard through this point in the offseason, putting together a solid set of offseason workout programs. As they prepare for training camp next month, Cousins has already begun making his impact felt on the practice field and in the locker room.

Mendoza has begun learning all he can from those around him, with Cousins likely being the person he is learning the most from and learning the most directly from. Cousins' arrival will help the Raiders and Mendoza in more ways than one.

“I feel like we're all in different stages. Kirk [Cousins] being more veteran, Aidan [O’Connell] being in his fourth year and then me being in my first year, and then also Jacob Clark the other UDFA quarterback who's also in his first year. We've all come together and have combined our experiences, whether it's from an experienced mind, a naive mind, and Aidan's mind, who's a little bit of a mix, who's a little bit of veteran,” Mendoza said following mincamp.

“And to be able to collaborate with Coach [Andrew] Janocko and Coach [Mike] Sullivan and Coach [Klint] Kubiak has been very, very influencing for me in my development, whether it's just sitting back and listening to Kirk have a conversation with Coach Janocko, whether it's asking Aidan O'Connell a question, whether it's hearing Coach Kubiak talk to the whole offense. It's been an overload of information, and I've been trying my best to take on all the information and try to apply on the field."

It remains to be seen what the Raiders will be under Cousins' guidance, as well as when during the 2026 season he will pass the torch to Mendoza. However, it is more than evident that the Raiders are in no rush for that to happen any sooner than it has to. Time will tell when exactly that point will be.

Until then, the Raiders' front office hopes Cousins can play better than their many quarterbacks over the past three seasons, and stay healthy enough to give Mendoza as much time as possible to get up to speed.

There is only so much Mendoza can learn from behind the scenes. His time will eventually come, but Cousins' arrival gives everyone involved a little bit more breathing room regarding Mendoza's development.

In today's day and age of hot takes and microwave success, the Raiders hope the arrivals of Cousins and Mendoza will lead to a brighter future and make them a more winning franchise for years to come.

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