Kirk Cousins has more than a fan in Rich Gannon.
The four-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro and 2002 NFL MVP also sees a certain plan in place when it comes to Cousins signing with his old team. Even if there is some Silver and Black nebulousness regarding Cousins' role with the Raiders after the upcoming draft.
After all, the Raiders hold the No. 1 pick and are expected to select a guy who plays the same position. A guy who just won the Heisman Trophy and the National Championship.
"What I would advise him is that he needs to come in there and compete Day 1," Gannon told me of Cousins on the most recent episode of Upon Further Review. "Don't worry about who gets drafted, when they get drafted, what the quarterback room [looks like] - my job is to be prepared, and I'm going to compete.
"By competing, you're going to make everyone in that room better. If we're so fortunate to be able to get Fernando Mendoza in the draft, which I think we will, I want there to be competition, right?"
If we've learned anything over this raucous offseason for the Raiders, it's that nothing is official until it's official.
And yet…
Gannon sees Kirko Chainz mentoring Heismandoza a fait accompli, of sorts.
Even as Cousins seemingly had options in free agency, places he could go where there was an immediate opening for a starter and also did NOT have the No. 1 pick.
And yet, again…
Cousins said he had to trust his "gut" in gambling on Las Vegas and a rookie coach in Klint Kubiak, with whom he spent time in Minnesota from 2019-21.
"Who knows," Cousins said with a smile this week in his introductory media conference. "Maybe my gut was wrong. But I've got to go with my gut, and my gut said that this is where I needed to be."