Kirk Cousins didn’t leave Fernando Mendoza with a long farewell. He left him with three words.
After the Raiders traded Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, the veteran quarterback posted a photo on his Instagram story of himself walking alongside the rookie, along with this message:
“Thank you Raider Nation!
“Go get em @fernandomendoza”
That note lands as Las Vegas gets ready to turn the offense over to Mendoza for the first time. The Raiders will open the next chapter Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (5-4), with kickoff set for 1:05 p.m. PT on CBS.
Cousins’ move back to Minnesota ends a productive nine-game stretch in Las Vegas and brings his run with the Raiders to a close before the NFL trade deadline. The team sent the 38-year-old quarterback to the Vikings in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick.
His time with the Raiders looked nothing like the rough patch he went through with the Atlanta Falcons. Under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, Cousins found his rhythm again and gave Las Vegas steady play at quarterback.
Across nine starts, the four-time Pro Bowler completed 202 of 315 passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He finished with a 64.1% completion rate and a 97.1 passer rating, and the Raiders went 4-5 during that stretch.
That production helped spark an offense that had finished last in scoring in 2025. Entering Week 10, Las Vegas is averaging 26.4 points per game, which ranks eighth in the NFL.
Now the job belongs to Mendoza. The rookie has played in just one regular-season game so far, going 6 of 8 for 48 yards in a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots.
Kirk Cousins offers his goodbyes to the Raiders and support for Fernando Mendoza on his way out via Instagram. pic.twitter.com/sX8mMJqgOd
— Sam Warren (@samwarren83) November 10, 2026
His first start comes with a tough assignment right away. Seattle brings the NFL’s top-ranked defense in total yards and passing yards allowed into Sunday’s matchup.
For Cousins, the trade sends him back to Minnesota, where he played from 2018 through 2023. For the Raiders, it officially ends his brief role as the veteran bridge and opens the door for Mendoza to take over the offense for the rest of his rookie season.
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