derek carr kirk cousins
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Derek Carr with Kirk Cousins.
The Las Vegas Raiders are finally going to commit to a young quarterback this offseason when they inevitably draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, they also decided to go the veteran quarterback route.
The team gave what effectively is a one-year, $20 million contract to Kirk Cousins. The plan appears to be to have him start at the beginning of the season and for Mendoza to take over eventually.
One quarterback who was being talked about as a possible mentor for Mendoza was Derek Carr. He’s the Raiders’ all-time leading passer and was open to a comeback after taking the 2025 season off to recover from a shoulder injury.
Similar to Cousins, he has also worked with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. Carr would’ve made some sense as a bridge quarterback, but the problem with him is that it would take a trade to get him, as he’s still technically under contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Regardless, Carr doesn’t seem upset that the Raiders didn’t really consider adding him. He made it clear that he’s very supportive of the team signing Cousins.
“I’m happy, as a Raider, that Kirk Cousins is a Raider,” Carr said on the “Home Grown” podcast.
Cousins Happy to Still Be Playing Football
Cousins is going to be 38 when the season starts, so he could’ve easily walked away from football with plenty of money in the bank. His stint with the Atlanta Falcons wasn’t as fruitful as he was likely hoping for.
It wouldn’t have been a surprise if he retired. However, during the end-of-season stretch of last year, he realized that he still loves football and wanted to continue playing.
”Any time you have unmet expectations, life can be kind of hard. So, I was just doing the best I could as the backup there, and just trying to stay positive and keep my head up and keep going every day,” Cousins said on “Good Morning Football.”
“But just felt like after playing the last seven games of the year, that just, kind of, football was fun. Loved to compete. Loved to be in the fire. Loved being with the guys again, and just was reminded going into the offseason, that, no, I’d like to still do this. I don’t know if the opportunity’ll be there or not, but if it is, I would like to still get out there and compete again.”
Could Cousins Stick With Raiders For Multiple Seasons?
Cousins is technically under contract with the Raiders for multiple seasons, but that was mostly to manipulate the cap. The team won’t even consider paying him under his current contract.
That doesn’t mean he can’t come back for another season. By 2027, the Raiders should be all-in on Mendoza, but Cousins will be pushing 39 at that point. There might not be a team out there willing to offer him the chance to start.
Being the backup for Mendoza in Las Vegas might be the best he can do. He could effectively be a coach on the field at that point. If things go well this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him want to stick around on an adjusted contract.