The Las Vegas Raiders may have some tough decisions to make. It’s clear they’d prefer that rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza didn’t play this season.
With Kirk Cousins playing at a high level, it’s easy to keep him off the field. However, Cousins may be playing too well. The Raiders are in the mix for the playoffs, but the roster needs some work before they can realistically compete for a Super Bowl.
This has led to speculation that one of the good teams that need an upgrade at quarterback could call the Raiders about Cousins. The Minnesota Vikings have stood out as maybe the best landing spot.
The team is 6-1, but has gotten really poor play from Kyler Murray, and now he’s hurt again. The Vikings have a Super Bowl-level defense, but they can’t score points. It’s going to be very difficult to win the Super Bowl that way.
Cousins spent six years in Minnesota and has played in Kevin O’Connell offense before. With him leading the offense, the Vikings would be much more dangerous. The problem for them is that the Raiders have all of the leverage here. Longtime NFL analyst Matthew Berry suggested the Vikings offer the Raiders a deal they can’t refuse.
“If I’m Minnesota, I give the Raiders a first for (Kirk) Cousins,” Berry said.
Raiders Should Strongly Consider Cousins Deal
The Raiders are 4-4 and just one game out of a possible Wild Card spot in the AFC. Trading Cousins now would send a weird message to the locker room.
Cousins has been great for the team. He’s second in the NFL with 19 touchdown passes. He has also been a great leader and mentor for Mendoza. Nobody would fault the Raiders for starting him the rest of the season. That said, a first- or second-round pick for Cousins is just too much to refuse.
The Raiders are still rebuilding, so an extra first-round pick would go a long way in helping find more good players, especially for a player the team didn’t have to give up anything to get. There’s no reason to believe that Mendoza isn’t ready to start games. He was considered an NFL-ready prospect coming out of Indiana. The Raiders don’t want to start him, but he’s gotten eight games to learn, and another first-round pick helps set him up for success in the future.
Raiders Players Love Cousins
Trading Cousins would be a tough sell to the locker room. Though it’s his first year in Las Vegas, he has really bonded with his teammates. Defensive end Maxx Crosby recently had a lot of praise for the quarterback.
“Kirk is the man. … One of the funnier dudes you’ll ever meet,” Crosby said. “He probably [has] the most dad vibe energy on the planet.”
Cousins may be 38, but he still has more energy than a lot of younger players.
“He brings that joy every single day,” Dylan Laube said. “This guy is 38, and he’s still bringing that same energy as if he was a kid.”
Contending Team Urged to Give Raiders First-Round Pick For Key Veteran