The Arizona Cardinals again couldn't land a prominent free agent quarterback.
After missing out on the likes of Malik Willis and Jimmy Garoppolo, the Cardinals showed interest in free agent passer Kirk Cousins — with no success.
According to multiple insiders, Cousins is signing with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Raiders HC Klint Kubiak coached Kirk Cousins for three seasons in Minnesota. Now they reunite in Las Vegas. https://t.co/YaewoXmQUH pic.twitter.com/m2q2sGH1Rl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026
The Cardinals, already with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew on the roster, would have added a third and more expensive quarterback to a roster that isn't quite ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2026.
Sinking money into Cousins with other positions yet to be filled simply wasn't winning business. Arizona, financially, was better off rolling with Brissett/Minshew and maybe a drafted quarterback.
In a vacuum, Cousins did make sense in Arizona. His time under Kyle Shanahan made him an obvious fit for Mike LaFleur, who took over as the Cardinals' head coach and is a Shanahan disciple. From a talent perspective Cousins would have been the clear starter in Arizona.
Yet from a team-building perspective, the move didn't make much sense. Was Cousins going to will Arizona to a playoff berth in 2026? Very likely not. Is he a guy to build around for the future? The answer is also no.
If the Cardinals' timeline was different where they absolutely needed a playoff push in 2026 before massive regime changes were made, that could be conceivable. If Arizona was only a quarterback away from competing, that would also make sense.
Yet the Cardinals fit neither of the two aforementioned scenarios.