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NFL 2026 NFL Free Agency Kirk Cousins, 37, started just 30 games over the last three seasons while battling injury and ineffectiveness. Elsa / Getty Images Quarterback Kirk Cousins has agreed to a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, his agent announced on Thursday. The creatively structured contract will likely play out as a one-year deal worth $20 million guaranteed, according to a league source. Cousins, who just completed his 14th NFL season, was cut by the Atlanta Falcons after two years with the franchise. With the Raiders, Cousins will bring a veteran presence to a quarterback room that is expected to be led by prospective No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. Advertisement The 37-year-old signal caller, who is 19th in NFL history in regular-season passing yards (44, 700 yards) and 15th in passing touchdowns (298), started just 30 games over the last three seasons while battling injury and ineffectiveness. He was benched in favor of then-rookie Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta in Week 15 of 2024, then retook the starting job with seven weeks remaining in the 2025 season when Penix suffered a season-ending knee injury. Last season, Cousins led the Falcons to a 5-3 record, including going 4-0 in the final four games, but finished 27th in the league in completion percentage (61. 7 percent) and 31st in EPA per dropback (-0. 02), according to Tru Media. Cousins signed the largest total-value free-agent deal in NFL history with Atlanta in 2024, a four-year deal that could have been worth $180 million. He will walk away after two years of that contract, having made $100 million from the Falcons. The $10 million Cousins is guaranteed from Atlanta in 2026 is subject to offsets, meaning if the Raiders signed him for, say, $3 million, the Falcons would pay the remaining $7 million. If Las Vegas signed Cousins for $10 million or more, Atlanta would owe nothing. According to the source, the Raiders will pay Cousins the veteran minimum salary in 2026 ($1. 3 million), meaning the Falcons will pay $8. 7 million, and Las Vegas will also guarantee Cousins a $10 million roster bonus in March 2027, which is not subject to offset language. The deal also has a built-in, two-year, $80 million option. As a result, Cousins will still make $10 million in 2026 (with most of it paid by the Falcons) and — if the option is not picked up — will make $10 million more in March before hitting free agency in 2027. Cousins’ career earnings of $321. 5 million rank third in NFL history, according to Over the Cap, and he is the only quarterback in the top five without a Super Bowl title. Advertisement He said during the season that he believed he was playing in “a contract year” because of the structure of his deal. In January, the Falcons restructured the contract in such a way that he would have been guaranteed an additional $67. 9 million if he were still on the roster, essentially sealing Cousins’ fate. Cousins was 12-10 as a starter and 24th in the league in EPA per dropback during his two years in Atlanta. Before acquiring Cousins, the Raiders had just one quarterback on their roster in 27-year-old Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and started 17 games over his first two seasons, going 7-10. However, a fractured wrist left him out for all but the season finale in 2025. The Raiders secured the No. 1 pick in this month’s draft with a 3-14 finish last season. They are expected to use it on Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to its first College Football Playoff national championship and a perfect 16-0 record in 2025. Las Vegas made its presence known at Mendoza’s pro day this week in Bloomington, Indiana, with general manager John Spytek, coach Klint Kubiak and even a videographer in attendance. Raiders decision-makers met with Mendoza after the workout, and the quarterback is expected to visit the Raiders’ facility in the coming weeks for a pre-draft visit. But even with the confidence the Raiders seem to be showing in Mendoza, the team was still on the market to add a veteran backup. Cousins will fill that role for a Las Vegas team eyeing an aggressive rebuild. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle