After nine games with the Las Vegas Raiders, Kirk Cousins is officially off to play for the Minnesota Vikings again. The Raiders traded him for a third-round pick amid a solid start to the season from the veteran quarterback.
However, the Raiders are 4-5, and rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza is clearly the future of the franchise. For Cousins, he gets to play for a 6-2 Vikings team that has its eyes set on the Super Bowl.
He spent six years in Minnesota, so he’s not going to be too sad about reuniting. He’s been working with possibly the worst defense in the NFL, and now he gets to play with one of the best.
Though his time in Las Vegas was brief, he seemed to really enjoy playing for the Raiders. He also had been a very good mentor for Mendoza, who is now set to take over as the starting quarterback.
There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between the two sides, as Cousins took to Instagram to say goodbye to the Raiders fan base and give his best wishes to Mendoza as he’s about to embark on his journey as a starting quarterback.
The Raiders likely would’ve preferred to wait to start Mendoza, but this offer from the Vikings was too good to pass up.
Is Mendoza Ready?
Mendoza isn’t going to get much of a ramp-up period. His first start is going to come against an elite Seattle Seahawks defense that just won a Super Bowl.
Their passing defense is the best in the NFL right now. This isn’t the ideal time to start Mendoza, but it just happened to align with the trade deadline.
This will be a great test for Mendoza. He’s not going to be able to pick on a bad defense. If he looks good against the Seahawks, the Raiders will know they have the real deal at quarterback. If he struggles, it won’t be time to panic. Even the best quarterbacks in the NFL struggle against Seattle’s defense.
Kirk Cousins Sends Message to Raiders & Fernando Mendoza After Trade