Kirk Cousins landed in Las Vegas like he owned the place, leading the Raiders to a remarkable three wins right out of the gate. But what started as a hot streak has turned cold, with the team faltering lately and dropping several games in a row. Now, just a few months into his tenure, NFL analyst Jared Dubin of CBS Sports is already floating the idea of the Raiders trading Cousins before the November 10 deadline.
The Rookie’s Shadow Over Sin City
Cousins is still the starting quarterback for now, but rookie Fernando Mendoza is right there, waiting in the wings. It feels incredibly quick, considering Cousins has only been with Vegas for a few months, but Dubin’s piece on Tuesday lays out the trade options. “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. It’s not *if* Mendoza will take over, it’s *when*, and that timeline has folks wondering if the Raiders make a bold, early move. Cousins, if traded, could be valuable to a team needing a quality backup or a fill-in starter for the rest of the season.
Why Moving On So Fast Is A Dice Roll
Despite the trade chatter, there’s a strong argument to keep Cousins in the fold. Dubin himself adds that Las Vegas “might prefer to just keep him around and have him mentor Mendoza for the rest of the year, though.” Frankly, Mendoza is a huge unknown right now. He’s a rookie quarterback with pretty much zero NFL experience. The Raiders would be smart to keep someone with Cousins’ talent and veteran presence to guide their young QB through the season. Trading him now would be a massive gamble on a completely unproven player, but the noise around Mendoza is definitely growing louder by the day.
With the November 10 trade deadline looming, the Raiders have some serious decisions to make. Do they push all their chips in on the rookie, or do they hold onto Cousins to mentor the future? Either way, the next few weeks are going to set the tone for the rest of their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply