Kirk Cousins has barely settled into Las Vegas and already his future is being talked about in trade-deadline terms.
The veteran quarterback helped spark a hot start for the Raiders, as the team opened with three wins before sliding into a rough stretch and dropping several games in a row. Cousins is still the starter, but rookie Fernando Mendoza is waiting behind him, and the bigger question now is not whether Mendoza will get the job. It’s when.
That uncertainty is what has one NFL analyst wondering whether the Raiders could make a move before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
In a Tuesday piece, CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin ran through potential trade candidates and included Cousins among them. The idea may sound fast considering Cousins arrived in Vegas only a few months ago, but Dubin believes the possibility is real.
"Klint Kubiak is already getting questions about when he's going to turn the reins over to Fernando Mendoza, which means Kirk Cousins' time under center is likely coming to an end fairly soon," Dubin points out. "Like Brissett, he could be valuable to a team looking for either a quality backup or a fill-in starter for the rest of the season."
He also noted that the Raiders "might prefer to just keep him around and have him mentor Mendoza for the rest of the year, though."
That last part matters, because Mendoza remains a major unknown. For a rookie quarterback with almost no NFL experience, Las Vegas would have every reason to keep Cousins in the building if the goal is stability through the season.
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