The Raiders made their quarterback call on Wednesday, and it confirmed what had been building for months: Kirk Cousins will open the season as Las Vegas’ starter against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
That decision came on cutdown day, the final touch on a busy stretch for the Raiders as they wrapped up the offseason and sorted out the depth chart. Las Vegas had let all three quarterbacks compete for their spots, but Cousins emerged as the choice to lead the offense when the season begins.
It also fit with everything the Raiders had signaled before the roster moves were finalized. The plan was clear from the start of Kubiak’s tenure: bring in a veteran who could steady things early, and Cousins checked that box. More than that, he was the best option in practice over the past several weeks and earned the job.
With that settled, the Raiders can move into Week 1 with one of the biggest questions off the board. The organization has spent the last few months building the foundation for a rebuild under the new coaching staff, and now it has a starting quarterback in place.
The long-term picture is there too. Fernando Mendoza is developing behind Cousins, giving Las Vegas a quarterback of the future while the present belongs to the veteran. Aidan O’Connell remains in the mix as another experienced option, and the Raiders believe he fits better under Kubiak than he did in previous regimes.
Raiders general manager John Spytek addressed the quarterback room after the roster was trimmed, making it clear the team valued all three players.
"Well, number one, I think they all earned it. I also don't think you can have enough good quarterbacks. We saw some teams keep four, and we obviously have a lot of faith in Kirk [Cousins] and Fernando [Mendoza] as the number one pick," Spytek said shortly after the Raiders cut their roster down.
"But to Aidan [O'Connell], Aidan's played really good football at times over his career here, and I thought he really took a step forward in OTAs. Given his opportunities in preseason, he was really good. None better than the drive in Houston to win that game for us."
For now, though, the answer at quarterback is Cousins. The bigger issue from here is how long he can stay healthy and keep playing at a serviceable level.
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Rick Dennison arrives as the new offensive line coach for 2026, with the expectation that he can bring cleaner fundamentals and better technique to a unit that badly needed both. The overhaul did not stop there, either, as the Raiders also upgraded at quarterbacks coach by hiring Mike Sullivan, whose long NFL background and prior working relationship with offensive coordinator Kubiak should give the staff more continuity as it tries to stabilize the offense. [Read more 🡒]