The Las Vegas Raiders recently agreed to a deal with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Of course, the addition of the veteran quarterback isn’t going to prevent Las Vegas from selecting Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick.
In fact, the presence of Cousins can actually be viewed as a move made in support of the eventual rookie quarterback. Cousins, who’s entering his 15th NFL season and has experience with Klint Kubiak, will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience for Mendoza to draw from.
Additionally, Cousins can serve as the bridge starter if the rookie isn’t ready to go by Week 1, or if the team isn’t ready to support a rookie quarterback. That second point is especially relevant since the Raiders are coming off a 3-14 season, where they had a lot of issues, to put it mildly.
Las Vegas Raiders could (and should) turn to Kirk Cousins if offensive line doesn’t significantly improve
One of the team’s biggest problems was the offensive line. While Las Vegas has worked this offseason to significantly improve the group, the unit is still a question mark until its performance proves otherwise.
If the offensive line is still struggling in 2026, having Cousins would be great, as the team will be able to protect Mendoza by not putting him behind a unit going through growing pains. Yes, they have improved on paper, but the offensive line play was rough in Las Vegas last season in every phase.
The Raiders gave up a league-high 64 sacks, and talented running back Ashton Jeanty was routinely hit behind the line of scrimmage. That’s why Las Vegas only managed to win three games, and it would be malpractice to put a rookie quarterback behind a line like that.
The Raiders understand that, and that’s why they worked to significantly improve the unit this offseason. The franchise signed the league’s best center, Tyler Linderbaum, in free agency, and the team will also be getting Kolton Miller back, after he was limited to just four games last season.
Additionally, after concerns about the offensive line coaching last season, Las Vegas has a new man leading the group in Rick Dennison. Fans should be optimistic about the offensive line improving, but counting on it and expecting it is something different entirely.
It would be phenomenal if these changes immediately paid off, and the Raiders offensive line immediately established itself as one of the best in the league. But it doesn’t always work out like that. Offensive line is a group where time on task is important, as it takes reps for a unit to grow together.
If Vegas’ offensive line has some brutal growing pains, it’d be best if a rookie quarterback isn’t trying to figure out the NFL behind that line. So while the Raiders have made the moves to have a significantly better group, they also have a veteran quarterback who could step in to take those hits.