Cousins signs with Raiders

[chucker]

I don't love this. I get it, but I don't love it.

[rich_120]

The plan is for Mendoza to see the field in 2026.

Why do you say that? We have no idea what the plan is and it may very well be that Mendoza sits his first year.

[DrDUne]

Won't part of guarantee be prorated to the void years on the contract instead of hitting all $10M next season? It's guaranteed, we all agree on that. But I would imagine they'll spread that out over the duration of the contract years.

[LayneStaley]

So it’s basically 1 year 11.3 mil? If that’s the case I like it. Kurt seems like a good guy for a rookie to learn under. Him and Mendoza both seem like somewhat humble guys who understand why both are Raiders and what’s expected. I don’t see Cousins being a cancer when Mendoza takes over. The biggest risk is we start out 6-0 with Cousins and can’t switch to Mendoza. I’d be thrilled with that problem.

[Steve007]

I really don’t like this move….Mendoza is coming to the raiders as a franchise QB and he really does not need anybody challenge him for the QB spot….

In 1970,s it was ok to sit a first round pick for few season but in today game; they need to start straight away….

There have been very successful qbs more recently that didn’t start right away-Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, for example.

This likely means that Mendoza will be even more ready and more confident when he finally does start, and if he is the cerebral qb people say he is, he will be learning during the time that Cousins is playing.

Mendoza won’t just be standing on the sidelines and daydreaming. He will get playing time in the preseason and maybe during any lopsided regular season games.

And I think this will motivate him even more to be better. It should if he is competitive.

[chucker]

My preference would be to still add one more QB to the mix - Brandon Allen, who's familiar with the system and will come cheap, and might be a more long term backup. Then dump O'Connell who is not nearly as cheap this year as in prior seasons. We would have Cousins plus Allen for less than the cap hit of O'Connell in 2026. As an alternative I'd also be ok with O'Connell sticking around, but at a reduced price.

[NoThanksSir]

Why do you say that? We have no idea what the plan is and it may very well be that Mendoza sits his first year.

Because he's the first overall pick and they almost always see the field eventually. I don't believe it's a legitimate possibility he sits all of 2026.

[Coach dd 11]

I still don't see anyone trading for Kirk "take the money and run" Cousins.

I will stop now, I hate this move and the freebie money we tossed away.

Again, I don't see your points of view or logic and neither do several others.
$11.3 million for a 1 year NFL starter is a great freaking deal IMO.
Again, it may be possible to trade him and the deal is even less...who knows we'll see how it all plays out.
Yet, the staff and FO have gotten what they said and wanted all along at a very good price...so I don't see how this isn't a win-win situation for the RAIDERS TEAM, not what you or anyone else WANTS!

[JRaider17]

At this point, I am just all in on trusting this staff and their plan. It was obvious for months that ideally they didn't want to feel like they had to force Mendoza out there early, and this move prevents that.

With Kirk's experience, personality and familiarity with Kubiak, I think it is a perfect fit.

[Jeevo]

At this point, I am just all in on trusting this staff and their plan. It was obvious for months that ideally they didn't want to feel like they had to force Mendoza out there early, and this move prevents that.

With Kirk's experience, personality and familiarity with Kubiak, I think it is a perfect fit.

Yeah, it's hard to love the Kubiak hire and then be POd about him wanting to do this. Trust the process.

[BoKnows81]

I still don't see anyone trading for Kirk "take the money and run" Cousins.

I will stop now, I hate this move and the freebie money we tossed away.

I am in complete agreement with you. The only thing we can do is trust Kubiak and Spytek. I'm still sticking with the fact that Mendoza will be the best QB on the roster come Week 1 and should start. But its not gonna be a matter of if Mendoza is ready or not (he will be) but will the team be ready.

[Swagron]

Smart move. Doesn’t set Mendoza up for failure day one. Plus Cousins comes cheap

[Nor_Cal_Raider]

On the bright side, the cap hit is minimal. The 10m will be spread out over 4 years

[rich_120]

I still don't see anyone trading for Kirk "take the money and run" Cousins.

I will stop now, I hate this move and the freebie money we tossed away.

[erickench]

They've got to be kidding! This is like that Geno Smith deal. They invest everything in an aging QB. Who could they draft no.1 if not Mendoza?

[SkullCrusher]

Is there really a possibility now that they won't draft Mendoza? This is unbelievable..

Mark would take full control back over.