Kirk Cousins Pounds the Table for Old Vikings Connections

In 2021, Kirk Cousins played the best ball of his career, and the man who offensively coordinated him is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak. So when Cousins praised his new head coach and his lieutenants this week, it made sense.

Cousins touted Kubiak this week, and the familiar partnership could matter for the Raiders’ next step at quarterback.

Las Vegas signed Cousins last week, presumably as a patchover quarterback for Fernando Mendoza, and Cousins thinks the relationship will work because of his prior experience with Kubiak.

Vikings Reunion Energy Followed Cousins to Vegas

Cousins and Kubak ride again in the AFC West.

Cousins on Kubiak

The former Viking spoke with Raiders reporters this week, unshy about recalling Minnesota memories.

“Thrilled to be here. It’s such an iconic logo, iconic jerseys, so to get to be a part of it is a real privilege to me. I think it starts with the coaching staff. I was really excited about being able to work with coaches I worked before. Klint Kubiak, Rick Dennison, Andrew Janocko,” Cousins said.

“I had some of my best years playing with them, and coaching is a big deal in this league. A big reason why I’m sitting in this chair and I’m now a Raider is because of Klint Kubiak. I can talk about him all I want, but my actions really show what I think of him by being here. Great football mind and extremely hardworking. There’s a humility there that I deeply respect.”

It also helps that Kubiak won a Super Bowl two months ago as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, helping to propel another ex-Viking, Sam Darnold, to the championship.

A New Pile of Cash, Too

Cousins is set to earn a fully guaranteed $20 million in 2026. Although his contract is structured as a five-year, $172 million deal, it essentially operates as a one-year, $20 million agreement. Entering the offseason, when it seemed evident that Atlanta would drop him, some wondered if Cousins might sign a minimum deal to re-establish his market value, but this did not happen.

Cousins continued his pattern of securing high-value contracts. After receiving $100 million in guaranteed dough from Atlanta in 2024 and 2025, he is now collecting the aforementioned $20 million from Las Vegas. The outcome aligns with Cousins’ reputation for maximizing his earnings.

The Raiders also hold a two-year, $80 million option for the following offseason, depending on Mendoza’s progress. If Mendoza develops successfully, Las Vegas can transition without major complications.

In all likelihood, Cousins will be a free agent next March, and he’ll do the same song and dance again.

Probably a Month to Post a Winning Record

The Raiders do not live in an easy division, and Cousins will have Mendoza breathing down his neck for the QB1 job, assuming he topples Mendoza at training camp for the QB1 job. How can he keep Mendoza at bay? Well, the simplest way to think about it is a winning record. If the Raiders exit September with a 2-2 or 3-1 record, for example, the Cousins show will likely continue. Anything worse than that would pave the way for Mendoza’s insertion into the starting lineup.

After all, first overall picks always see the QB1 job before too long, and frankly, it’s a little weird that Cousins is in town to serve as a patchover quarterback. Most franchises tear the band-aid off these days and let it rip. See: Caleb Williams in 2024 and Cam Ward in 2025.

Cousins has one big chance to help the Raiders stack wins before Mendoza inevitably takes over.

He also has the humility for the job. Cousins said this week, “Honestly, I don’t want to start unless I’m the best option. I told Klint that: The best player should play. Certainly, as long as that’s the case, I have no qualms about how it plays out. I do think Fernando is going to be a great addition to our team. I think he’s going to have a great future in the league.”

“I have no problem being a voice in the room to help him to the degree that I can. … Being able to watch a veteran quarterback go through his habits, routine and process, that can be a great asset for him. … It’ll be a noisy quarterback room, we’ll all be helping each other, and we’ll all be pulling in the same direction.”

Cousins’ Numbers with Kubiak

The new Raiders signal-caller became a full-time starter in 2015 for the Washington Commanders. There are his NFL rankings per EPA+CPOE since then, with the rankings in bold during the Kubiak years:

Cousins played his most consistent ball with Kubiak’s tutelage, so perhaps in 2026, he can turn the clock back to 2021 or 2022.

Oddsmakers, though, are not high on the Raiders. They expect Kubiak and Co. to win four or five games next season.