kirk cousins
Getty
Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins.
Training camp is closing in for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Kirk Cousins is the current frontrunner to be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1. They don’t want to start rookie Fernando Mendoza immediately, and prefer to let him sit behind the veteran and learn.
However, if Mendoza is clearly the better player, the Raiders may not have a choice but to start him. Cousins has started a lot of games in his career and is a four-time Pro Bowler, but he’s going to be turning 38 before the season.
Last season, he only started eight games and threw 10 touchdowns to five interceptions. With Mendoza hot on his tail, Cousins can’t afford to slip up in training camp. The Athletic’s Sam Warren named Cousins as the player with the most on the line on the Raiders’ roster.
“The Raiders appear to have a clear plan at quarterback in place in both the short and long term as Cousins is in line to start the year before No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza eventually succeeds him,” Warren wrote. “The 37-year-old should hope that transition is amicable for the sake of his career. Cousins’ two years with the Falcons weren’t the tidiest, and if inconsistent play follows him to Las Vegas, his 15th season could be his last chance to contribute.”
Cousins’ Starting Days Could Be Over if He Loses QB Battle
Cousins does have a ton on the line this offseason. His career in the NFL could be at risk. If he loses the quarterback battle to Mendoza, that may be the last chance he has at being a starter.
Cousins was a free agent for a while before the Raiders signed him. He likely would’ve gone to a team that had a clearer path to the starting job if there was any interest.
Retirement could be on the table after this season if Cousins doesn’t start. Now, if he’s able to start and play well, he may be able to land with another team with the chance to start next year. This could be a make-or-break season for Cousins.
Insider Gives Latest on Cousins
The good news for Cousins is that it does appear the Raiders would very much prefer to start the season with him. Mendoza is obviously the future at quarterback, but there’s no reason for Las Vegas to rush him.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the most likely scenario is that Cousins starts in Week 1.
“Could Mendoza win the job? I think it’s probably unlikely,” Breer wrote. “Kubiak, I believe, will be very deliberate in how the Raiders bring Mendoza along, as much as anything to ensure that the progress he’s making takes and becomes permanent. But it does sound like the Raiders will sprinkle Mendoza in with the first team this summer — with Cousins’ extensive background in the scheme giving them more flexibility to do so — as part of the rookie’s larger development plan.”
The Raiders may want to start Cousins, but he still has to earn the job, so Mendoza isn’t out of the running until the first snap is taken in Week 1.