Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has lost two consecutive games with the Las Vegas Raiders. In their most recent defeat, the Raiders fell to the AFC defending champions by four touchdowns.
That’s notable with this year’s No. 1 pick waiting in the wings behind Cousins. But Las Vegas isn’t prepared to make the switch away from Cousins anytime soon.
That’s what ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported this week when he shared Week 6 intel with colleague Jeremy Fowler.
“I am told Kirk Cousins is in no danger of being benched any time soon,” wrote Graziano. “The Raiders were happy to get Mendoza’s feet wet, but they remain in no hurry to make him their starter, especially sitting at 3-2 themselves.”
Cousins has experienced a bounce back campaign to begin the 2026 season. He threw three touchdowns in three consecutive weeks to begin the year. The Raiders won all three of those contests, beginning the season 3-0 for the first time in five years.
Overall, Cousins has posted a 65.1% completion percentage with 1,269 passing yards and 12 touchdowns during 2026. He has also thrown four picks.
Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Shining With Raiders
Cousins hasn’t played with Minnesota for three years now. The quarterback originally left the Vikings to sign a 4-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March 2024.
The Falcons also picked Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft that spring. Cousins entered that fall as the starter, but he eventually gave way to Penix in December.
Something similar could occur to Cousins with the Raiders this season. Las Vegas has Fernando Mendoza on the bench as the team’s QB2. Mendoza was an even higher selection than Penix, who went No. 8 overall to the Falcons two years ago.
But Cousins will have the opportunity to prove he should stay in the lineup.
While the veteran did lose his starting job in December 2024 to Penix, Cousins revealed after that season he played through a shoulder issue. Returning fully healthy last season, he went 5-3 in eight starts and posted 10 touchdowns with five interceptions in 10 games overall.
Cousins is again proving this fall that if healthy, he can still win and produce in the NFL.
As for the Vikings appear to have Kyler Murray trending in the right direction after a slow start. But Minnesota could certainly use a similar offensive spark Cousins has provided Las Vegas. Hopefully Murray will continue to improve so Vikings fans aren’t left to wonder if the team should have considered the crazy idea of a Cousins reunion this past offseason.
Cousins signed in Las Vegas on a 1-year, $11.3 million deal over the spring.
Over his 15-year career, Cousins is 91-79-2 as a starting quarterback. He will surpass the 46,000-yard passing total with 31 yards in Week 6.
With the Vikings, he went 50-37-1 with a 67.9% completion percentage, 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.
NFL Insider Drops Plan for Ex-Vikings QB Kirk Cousins After Blowout Loss