Kirk Cousins: Everything you need to know

Cousins is set for a quarterback competition with rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports. The Raiders drafted Mendoza on Thursday after signing Cousins earlier in April. According to McFadden, the Raiders' top brass would prefer not to thrust a rookie quarterback into action immediately, but GM John Spytek said the best player will start. Cousins' edge in experience gives the veteran signal-caller a viable chance to beat out Mendoza, at least initially, though it wouldn't be surprising to see Mendoza eventually take over the starting job at some point during the 2026 regular season.

Cousins agreed Thursday with the Raiders on a contract, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. After being cut by the Falcons earlier in the offseason, Cousins had drawn interest from several teams who were keen on bringing him aboard as a backup. He ultimately opted to head to Las Vegas, where he'll at least temporarily slot in atop the depth chart. The Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft later this month, but Cousins -- who is in line to earn $20 million fully guaranteed for playing the 2026 season -- per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, could still emerge as the Week 1 starter if Las Vegas isn't eager to rush Mendoza into action right away to begin his NFL career. During his final season in Atlanta, Cousins made 10 appearances (eight starts) and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt and a 10:5 TD:INT.

The Falcons released Cousins on Wednesday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. Cousins was informed of his release in February, or perhaps even earlier, but it didn't become official until Wednesday afternoon with the start of the league year. Rumored fits include one of his former squads, Minnesota, though even the desperate teams may only view Cousins as a backup at this point. He'll turn 38 in August, so retirement wouldn't come as any surprise.