Even though most analysts expect the Las Vegas Raiders to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, head coach Klint Kubiak doesn’t seem inclined to throw him into the fire right away. The plan, at least in principle, is to let him develop behind a veteran. The issue, however, seemed to be that the Raiders didn’t really have one. With Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett gone, the room was down to Aidan O’Connell.

That gap has now been addressed. On Thursday, Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins. It doesn’t lock him in as the Week 1 starter, but it does align with Kubiak’s approach of pairing the rookie with a veteran presence.

Soon after, Cousins took to social media and posted, “The Autumn Wind…,” a nod to the poem, narrated by John Facenda, which has been a core part of the Raiders’ history.

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The team has not yet disclosed the details, but the expectation is that Cousins will at least be in the mix for QB1 heading into 2026. And for a franchise that has struggled to find stability at both head coach and quarterback, this is another reset.

Last season didn’t help that narrative. Under Pete Carroll, the Raiders went 3-14, the league’s worst record, which ultimately landed them the top pick in the draft. Smith started 15 games and finished 2-13, putting up 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. That led to Carroll being out after just one year, and Smith followed.

Now, Kubiak steps in after his Super Bowl run with the Seattle Seahawks, and one of his first major moves is bringing Cousins into the room.

For Cousins, this marks his fourth stop in the NFL, following stints with Washington, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons. His arrival in Las Vegas comes less than a month after Atlanta released him despite having two years left on his deal.

That split wasn’t exactly surprising. Cousins had signed a four-year, $180 million contract. But the situation shifted when the Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in 2024.

Cousins still opened the 2024 season as the starter and threw for a career-high and franchise-record 509 yards in Week 5. But the inconsistency showed up soon after, including a stretch of four straight games without a touchdown.

He eventually snapped that streak in Week 15, but by then, Atlanta had already turned to Penix. Heading into 2025, Cousins found himself as the league’s most expensive backup. After Penix went down with a season-ending knee injury, Cousins stepped back in.

He completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He tied for 22nd in the league alongside Bryce Young with a 47.6 QBR.

“Hard to know,” Cousins said when asked about his future in Atlanta. “I would like to keep playing, but we’ll see how things play out in March or even after that… I would love to be back here. We’ll see how things play out.”

Ultimately, Atlanta went in a different direction, committing fully to Penix as their long-term answer. Cousins, meanwhile, lands in Las Vegas, a team likely to add a top quarterback prospect with the No. 1 pick. How that dynamic plays out, especially if Mendoza is the choice, will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch heading into the 2026 season.

Klint Kubiak plans to develop Fernando Mendoza behind Kirk Cousins

It’s not always the best move to throw a rookie quarterback straight into the fire. Caleb Williams struggled in 2024, and so did Cam Ward in 2025. Both were the No. 1 overall picks. That’s exactly why Klint Kubiak doesn’t seem eager to rush Fernando Mendoza into a starting role, even if the Raiders take him No. 1 overall, which looks likely.

“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak told the reporters. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”

Just days after those comments, the Raiders brought in Kirk Cousins, adding a veteran presence to the room. Nothing is locked in yet. But as things stand, Cousins looks like the logical option to open the 2026 season as QB1.

On the other side, Mendoza enters the league with serious momentum. He’s coming off a 16-0 season at Indiana that ended in a national championship. He threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns in one of the most complete campaigns in recent memory.

So if the Raiders do go in that direction, the plan feels fairly clear. Let Mendoza develop behind Cousins, and then hand him the starting job when the time is right. The only question left is how Cousins will fare as a mentor.