Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will get one more crack at starting opening weekend of the NFL season.
On Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders first-year head coach Klint Kubiak named Cousins his team’s starter to begin the 2026 campaign.
“He played really good football,” Kubiak said, via CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles. “I’m really happy with all three of our quarterbacks. Kirk’s had a really good offseason, very good camp, and he’s earned it.”
Cousins will start for his fourth NFL franchise. He held off No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to earn the starting job to begin the regular season.
Cousins owns an 88-77-2 record as a starter in the league. His best record came with the Vikings, where he posted a 50-37-1 mark from 2019-23. Cousins also made three of his four Pro Bowls in Minnesota.
Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins to Start for Raiders
It’s not clear for how long Cousins will be the Raiders starter. Clearly, Mendoza is the team’s future behind center.
But Cousins will get an opportunity to prove he can still play. If he performs well, one has to assume he could hold off the rookie for at least a few weeks.
Cousins posted a 5-3 record as a starter last season with the Atlanta Falcons. He threw 10 touchdowns and five interceptions while averaging 6.4 yards per pass.
Cousins had a much more prolific final season with the Vikings in 2023. He averaged 7.9 yards per attempt with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions over the first eight games of 2023. Midway through the season, though, Cousins torn an Achilles tendon.
Since then, he hasn’t had the same mobility, which hurt him during his Atlanta stint.
Cousins turned 38 years old in August. He began his career as a fourth round pick for the then Washington Redskins.
The quarterback made history with the Vikings with the league’s first completely guaranteed multi-year contract in 2018. He won 10 games for the first time with Minnesota in 2019 and then led the Vikings to a 13-4 record during 2022.
Ex-Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Gets Great News for Week 1 in 2026 Season