The Las Vegas Raiders have found their starting quarterback for the 2026 National Football League regular season. On Thursday, the Raiders have signed Kirk Cousins of Barrington, Illinois to a one-year contract worth $10 million.
The signing of Cousins comes after he was released last month by the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins originally signed a four year deal worth $180 million with Atlanta on March 13, 2024.
The contract is favourable for the Raiders from a financial perspective. Of the $10 million Cousins will earn in 2026, the Raiders will pay only $1.3 million, and the Falcons will pay $8.7 million. Cousins will also receive a $10 roster bonus in 2027. Also in 2027, the Raiders could give Cousins a two-year option worth $80 million.
According to Garrett Chapman of Sports Illustrated, it is unlikely that the Raiders will pick up the two option years of Cousins’s contract starting in 2027. Many in the football world are still stunned that the Falcons committed to Cousins to a gigantic contract two years ago.
Las Vegas becomes Cousins’s third National Football League franchise. He previously played six consecutive seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2023, and the last two seasons with the Falcons. In 2025, Cousins completed 166 passes in 269 passing attempts for 1721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had 14 rushes for seven rushing yards and one touchdown run. The rushing touchdown was for one yard and came in a 26-19 Falcons win over the Arizona Cardinals on December 21.
The Falcons made the quarterback change because it appears they will be going with either Michael Penix Jr. of Cookeville, Tennessee or Tua Tagovailoa of Ewa Beach, Hawaii. The Raiders have decided to go with Cousins over Geno Smith, who was traded to the New York Jets from the Raiders in the offseason.
