Kirk Cousins (Traded to Vikings)

[Reno Hightower]

I have rarely seen a QB do more with less. Kubiak has made it clear that he is the guy this year but his play has really defied conventional wisdom. The run blocking is as putrid as it was last season. The pass blocking has been getting compliments but how much as that has to do with Cousins's pocket presence and pre snap reads?

I am not sure the subject deserves its own thread but I think what he has accomplished this season cannot be overstated and he has essentially put the offense on his back. I don't think anyone saw this coming.

Thoughts?...

[Willmark]

Indeed. He brought us back to respectability. The Nation will always speak highly of KC.

His all too brief time certainly does warrant reflection. Cousins earned respect.

In only 9 games he played at a high level with a defense that has been bad to say the least. Boy Wonder had bad defenses over 9 years to be sure. However, one brought professionalism and leadership. The other offered platitudes, hollow ones at that and "put the blame on me."

From Gannon till Cousins, only Palmer was respectable in the second half of his career and his good years with the Cardinals, not the Raiders. Campbell in two seasons was a bit above average. After that its been either pathetic or mediocrity (at best).

Our best hope is Cousins left a positive impact on Fernando and by all accounts it looks to be the case. In so much that many years from now we can hope that Fernando rewrites the Raiders and NFL record book. In comparison 2014-2022 will look like what it was: lost years of mediocrity.

And from now onward an ascending Mendoza that was kick started by Kirk Cousins will be a lasting legacy (one can hope.) That alone deserves respect.

[Oaktownonly]

For most of the football world but as a Raider fan, I admire Kirks brief time with us with more respect than the turd for 9 years.

Whenever Cousin's shows up in Vegas he'll be cheered.

[Rabidraider]

Thinking how he took Mendoza under his wing, was the team leader and now gone is a little sad.

He came in knowing it was going to be a short stay and he performed brilliantly and with class.

Hope he does well in Minny even if it lowers our draft pick value. Much respect...

[Steve007]

I was excited every time our offense got the ball, and it wasn’t our running game that I was excited to see. I really enjoyed watching Cousins play.

[GoodTimeCharlie]

[Steve007]

Cousins worst record as a starter when he played at least 16 games was 7-9. That was the lowest point for his teams when he was healthy.

Sadly for this franchise a 7-9 season would be one of the higher points since Gannon retired.

[DanKD]

You die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. Cousins Raider life died a hero.

[16 to 88]

Cousins worst record as a starter when he played at least 16 games was 7-9. That was the lowest point for his teams when he was healthy.

Sadly for this franchise a 7-9 season would be one of the higher points since Gannon retired.

And your point is besides just kicking dirt on the team? You do realize the only reason he was here in the first place is because, you know, the Raiders head coach. Each time you kick dirt on someone you lose a little ground.

[LayneStaley]

[Sold My Soul]

Trade Grade..

-The Athletic

Vikings grade: C

This was a necessary move for the desperate Vikings, and it puts them in a much more competitive position moving forward. Cousins has played well this season. He ranks ninth in EPA per dropback, according to TruMedia. But in the context of the Vikings’ overall team-building operation, it’s hard to give this a higher grade. They let Sam Darnold walk in free agency. They failed on first-round pick J.J. McCarthy and traded him to the Giants, who are leading the NFC East. The Murray experiment has not worked out. The Vikings have been living in a quarterback hell of their own creation. And not to pile on, but they could have signed Cousins in free agency this offseason and kept their third-round pick. The process has been poor all around. But Cousins will still give the Vikings a huge lift.

Raiders grade: A+

Raiders GM John Spytek’s handling of his quarterback room this offseason will go down as one of the best pure business moves in recent NFL history. The Raiders signed Cousins to a one-year, $11.3 million deal in April after he was cut by the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Raiders structured $10 million of that contract as a roster bonus due in 2027. This prevented that $10 million from being offset by the guaranteed money remaining on Cousins’ Falcons contract. So, the Raiders only paid Cousins $650,000 for 2026 — half of his $1.3 million base salary. The Vikings will be on the hook for that $10 million roster bonus due in 2027. In total: Spytek turned that $650K — and four wins this season — into a third-round pick. They did not have to trade Cousins, and they used that leverage on a desperate Vikings team.

[GoodTimeCharlie]

“Winner: Fernando Mendoza

Last April, the Las Vegas Raiders signed 38-year-old quarterback Kirk Cousins to what was essentially a one-year, $11.3 million deal to be both the starting QB and mentor for no. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Though most quarterbacks drafted first in the past two decades have started Week 1 of their rookie seasons, Raiders first-year head coach Klint Kubiak (and minority owner Tom Brady) has been adamant that a better development plan for Mendoza was to have him ride the bench till he’s ready to play. Brady’s thesis on quarterback development is that starting rookie quarterbacks too early, and having them play in a dumbed-down offense, doesn’t make them better, and that throwing young QBs into the fire early is more likely to destroy a quarterback’s confidence and force them into bad habits.

The only habit Mendoza has formed through the first half of the season is to wear his helmet on the sideline in order to hear Kubiak’s play calls, but now that Cousins is headed back to Minnesota, Mendoza will get the chance to wear it for real when he makes his first career start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

It was time. Cousins has been efficient, but he played his worst game as a Raider last week against San Francisco, throwing three interceptions, including a pick on his only red-zone passing attempt of the day. His old-man mobility and underwhelming arm talent put a low ceiling on Las Vegas’s offense. Yes, the advanced analytics are good: Cousins ranks ninth in EPA per dropback and 12th in success rate, and only he and Joe Burrow have 20-plus touchdowns. But the tape has had Raiders fans like me calling for Cousins’s benching for weeks.

Turning Kirko’s contract, which includes a $10 million team option in March, into a 2027 third-round pick is good business—even if it means Mendoza’s first two starts will come against Mike Macdonald’s Seattle defense on Sunday and the Broncos defense at Mile High the following week. Mendoza has a much stronger arm, and even though he wasn’t known for his rushing ability as a college QB, he’s far, far more mobile than Cousins, who ranks dead last in EPA per dropback on scrambles. Compared to Cousins, Mendoza is going to look like Steve Young when he breaks out of the pocket. Cousins can still put the ball in the right places when he’s throwing within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage, and he’s a tough sonofagun who has earned locker room respect everywhere he’s played. But he doesn’t have the juice in his arms or legs necessary to level up the Raiders offense like Mendoza possibly can. If that means more mental mistakes because Mendoza doesn’t have over 170 career starts, it’s a worthwhile trade-off to get Mendoza’s growing pains out of the way now rather than in 2027.

It was unrealistic to believe that Mendoza would spend his entire rookie year on the bench. I’ve said since July that the best plan would be for the Raiders to have Mendoza in the lineup after their Week 13 bye, for home games against the Chargers, Broncos, and Chiefs, and road games against the Titans and Cardinals. That the Raiders are able to start that process sooner—and pick up a third-rounder in the process—made this deal a no-brainer.” —Austin Gayle

https://www.theringer.com/2026/11/10/nf ... rdan-davis

[ELCAraiderfan]

All I have to say is Good Luck Kirk!

You were, are a class act, a professional from day 1 when you arrived to the Raiders. You led this team with you personality, experience and professionalism. Thank you. You are the first quarterback for the Raiders in over 20 years that I have liked and enjoyed watch play for the Silver and Black. You will always be a Raider.

Besides watching the Raiders as usual every week, I will now be watching the Vikings and rooting for you and the Vikings to do very well. (Since I know our Raiders aren't going to the Super Bowl this year, not with this defense, no matter what Mendo does!)

So I will watch and I hope Kirk that you do lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl victory. Their fans deserve it with their history of losing the big game and you deserve it Kirk with the person and professional football player you are. Good luck.