Inside Scoop: How the Kirk Cousins Trade Unfolded for the Raiders

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (4-5) made a move that is familiar on The Strip in this city, but not always common in the National Football League, as they moved all in on both the present and the future.

What Happened

Kirk Cousins was brought to Las Vegas in order to be an example to the 2026 NFL Draft's number one overall pick, whom NFL executives ranked the best QB prospect of the last four years: Fernando Mendoza.

Cousins and Mendoza quickly hit it off, and the relationship became not only that of two teammates, but two friends. Close friends.

From Monday night team bible studies to early morning review sessions, Cousins and Mendoza worked well together, and each day the relationship blossomed.

Credit the work ethic and attitude of Mendoza that won Cousins, and credit Cousins for showing a willing heart to offer anything he could to the man, waiting in the wings to take his temporary hold on his job.

Before we dig into the details of the trade, yesterday would not have happened without both men performing at their very best.

QB Kirk Cousins has a long history with the Shanahan family. | Darrell Craig Harris

How We Got Here

For just over two weeks, sources in the building have made it abundantly clear that Mendoza was ready. The impediment to his playing was that Cousins was performing at a career-rejuvenating high level.

Mendoza didn’t pout; he continued to work at a very high level to be ready.

A fact that wasn’t lost on Cousins. One of the fiercest competitors ever known, Cousins is also a realist. He knew exactly why he was brought in, and that was to warm the seat for Mendoza, who was ready.

Raiders QB Kirk Cousins has been a great example for Fernando Mendoza, both on and off the field. | Darrell Craig Harris

The locker room knew it, and so did everyone else.

While Mendoza won’t be as ready this Sunday versus the Seahawks (5-4), he was as ready as could be, and then some.

The Details

The details of how this went down are amazing, and it should make all of Raider Nation proud.

I was told three weeks ago that the Raiders were going to ask an “exorbitant” price for Cousins. That came down, but not by much.

I can tell you that even as reports surfaced recently that allegedly people hadn’t called the Raiders, that is the typical spin of the NFL and the semantics of word salad that NFL executives love.

GM John Spytek didn’t say that in those words, but he did allude to it when talking about how it all unfolded.

“I don’t want to get too far into that, but really, this morning, Nolan [Teasley] and I spoke for a while, and we figured out kind of the framework of it, and if it made sense for both teams, and obviously we ultimately agreed that it did. But I talked to a lot of the guys around the league for a long time, but I would say this morning.”

Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

I started reporting last week that Cousins, after Sunday’s game with the 40ers, could be got for a third. I am NOT calling Spytek a liar, far from it. But you can have calls in which no offers are made, and clearly everyone on the call knows the details.

I was reporting what NFL people were telling me, “They perceived.”

You can also never make a call, but take all of them.

Fernando Mendoza | Arnie Bazemore, On SI

As one NFL executive told me last night, “John is smart. He didn’t have to call anyone; he wasn’t shopping him. You have nice calls, and say hi, and you know who is a serious player and who is a bargain shopper. Cousins ain't a Dollar General guy; he was playing like Neiman Marcus, and when it was time, a team with a Neiman Marcus defense, and other weapons came calling.”

Spytek essentially said that, “I got a few phone calls, but one real one this morning.”

The point was that Spytek played this perfectly. Had he held on to Cousins, all was good. If he made the move, the Raiders got all of the efforts of Cousins, on and off the field, for essentially free thanks to Tom Delaney, who is one of the NFL's elite contract and salary cap brains, and picked up a third-round pick.

Mendoza Mania

Spytek explained what he has seen in Mendoza that told him that he was ready when I asked, and he didn’t hold back.

“Well, I’m not in the meetings every day with him, but I hear all the reports about how well he does in there. But just to watch him go out and practice, and the level at which he operates the scout team, and the unselfishness and his ability to throw the football, and I think we’ve both seen him improve as a passer as well. So, again, he worked really hard and performed at a level in practice that was hard to ignore, impossible to ignore, and he put us in a position to make a really hard decision today.”

I asked Klint Kubiak the same question, and his answer, while echoing the sentiments of Spytek, offered even more analysis.

QB Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“Fernando [Mendoza] has everything we’ve asked him to do in practice. I think he’s exceeded those expectations, and we all know that live bullet Sunday is far different from practice. However, he showed us that he’s ready, not only physically but mentally. He’s up there studying right now like he would any other game. He puts a lot of work in. His teammates know how prepared he is. It’s not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field.”

The Cousins Impact

The fact is that I wrote months ago what just happened. I told you all that Cousins would only be here a short time, but his impact would be felt for years with the development of Mendoza. Kubiak explained that very well.

“Work habits, preparation, ways to take care of your body, ways to connect with your teammates, progressions, blitzes to expect, things to expect from coordinators. We could go on and on, but there’s a lot more to playing the position than what your coaches tell you in your meeting room, and I think Kirk [Cousins] embodied all the right things there, how to prepare and how to be a professional, and really, when things aren’t going well, what buttons to push on your teammates and what questions to ask your coaches. It’s an endless list of all positive things.”

Enough Was Enough

Spytek didn’t sugarcoat or bloviate about the move. The fact was that Mendoza was ready, and the deal benefited both the Raiders and Cousins.

“Well, we had to make a hard decision. And I mean, we’re all kind of staring the future in the face here with Fernando [Mendoza], and Kirk [Cousins] was very open with that when we got him. We had to basically decide do we want to go forward here over the last eight games, or do we want to take what Minnesota is offering right now? Ultimately, we decided to do that.”

Tom Delaney Does It Again

Perhaps the most underrated Raider in the entire organization is Tom Delaney. Universally respected around the NFL as a contract and salary cap genius, his masterful handling of the Cousins deal (mentioned above) got a great contract for Cousins and a remarkable deal for the Silver and Black. I asked Spytek about it.

“Yeah, it was a unique negotiation with Kirk [Cousins] last year, given his contract that he was coming off of in Atlanta and what we were trying to get accomplished as well, and we found a middle ground to make it work, where some of the compensation would be due next year had he finished today on our roster. That was something that we were thoughtful about, that we were willing to do because we felt like this is the kind of player we were signing, and he could bring what he brought to our organization. That was $10 million we were willing to pay, ownership was willing to pay, and then today things changed, and now that’s Minnesota’s contract now.”

Kubiak’s Confidence

Kubiak broke down the progress he has seen in his young QB, and the undeniable truths that proclaimed he was ready to take the next step.

“Yeah, well, every day he’s going against a live pass rush with Maxx [Crosby] and with Kwity Paye and Quay Walker and number 17 [Nakobe Dean] coming up the E gap, so he’s got a lot of game speed reps. I see him progress in his accuracy, in his total command of our system, his ability to get in and out of a huddle, operate two-minute drills, situational football. I think, just every aspect, like any rookie, you’ve seen growth. But his most important piece of production is his ability to throw a football accurately and make good decisions, and I’ve seen those two things really jump out.”

How Many Changes

Kirk Cousins' 15 years in this league speak for themselves. There are reads and things that he sees, simply because of that experience.

While Mendoza doesn’t have that experience, he does have significantly more mobility and a stronger arm. So I asked Kubiak how the offense changes given those important details.

“We installed an offense in April, and we’ve been improving it since that day. So, we’re going to do what the whole team does well. Obviously, there are parts to his game that we might look to do a little bit differently. However, it’s about the other 10 players in the huddle too, and what they all do best. And the quarterback is the ultimate point guard, so he’s got to be the point guard. He’s got to be the lead man, and we’ve got to go practice this week and get our best plays out there and things that he does best alongside of his teammates.”

Fair Question

Spytek was asked, with his team in NFL playoff contention, and admittedly his starting QB playing well, how he explains trading said QB, and not making additional moves to shore up plenty of areas of concern on the roster.

Credit the second-year GM for taking the question head-on.

“That’s a great question. We’re going to find out, but we have a lot of belief in the team, and the guy that’s going to be playing quarterback now too. But again, I want to reiterate, this is about the team, and we have a lot of good football players that have played a lot of good football so far this year. We have to play better. We’ve got to play better longer.”

Spytek continued, “We’ve got to make those five or six plays in a game against the really good teams that have a way of determining the game, and when you’re a young team and you’re growing and you’re learning to win, you’ve got to live in those spaces. Kirk [Cousins] did a lot of really good things in those moments too, and this certainly creates a void in those spots. But our expectation is we’ve got a lot of other really good players here that will step up and help propel us forward.”

Final Thoughts?

This was not a shocker. The fact I was reporting it would take a third for some time proves that at least around the NFL, they had an understanding.

This was a good move for everyone involved. Very rarely in the NFL is a deal good for all parties; this one was.

Raider Nation got an inside look at what is clearly the shining moment of Spytek’s young career. Kubiak lured Cousins here; Spytek and Tom Brady sold him on the franchise direction from the top, and Delaney’s masterpiece sealed the deal.

The Raiders got Cousins for free, a third-round pick, and the best mentor imaginable for Mendoza.

Cousins goes back to a place he loved and had great success in Minnesota, with a coach he respects, Kevin O’Connell. Minus a questionable GM, and the addition of one who is highly respected, and a true WR1 who many believe is the best in the NFL, and an absolutely elite defense.

Mendoza finally gets his chance. He will have his struggles for the remainder of this year and in 2027. But when 2028 arrives and year three of this Raiders rebuild kicks off, every indication is that he will be what the Raiders think he is: an elite franchise QB1.

Everyone won today, but in my opinion the biggest winner was the Raiders brass, Cousins, or Mendoza.

It was Raider Nation.

After years of wandering in the proverbial wilderness, they saw a plan executed on April 6, 2026 (the day they officially signed Cousins) come to fruition perfectly. A rising superstar of a head coach, a competent front office, another NFL Draft pick to add an impactful player, a rookie significantly farther along than when he arrived, and a Raider QB headed to Minnesota, who truly came to love the organization and fans.

The Raiders' rebuild grew up today. Congratulations seem in order for the fantastic fans.

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