LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders sent Kirk Cousins, their starter, to Minnesota on NFL trade-deadline day, handing the offense to rookie Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Minnesota will send the Raiders a third-round selection in the 2027 draft in return, the club confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
Mendoza will make his first regular-season start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium. Spytek, the team’s general manager, and head coach Klint Kubiak explained the move at a news conference at the team’s practice facility. Spytek said the Vikings’ offer from Minnesota did not exist until Tuesday morning, and that he and Kubiak brought it to Cousins because they believed the veteran deserved a voice in the decision. From there, the Raiders had about six hours to make a call before the deadline.
Cousins, 38, leaves after roughly eight months in Las Vegas. He started the first nine games of the season and finished with 2,340 yards through the air, 20 touchdown passes and nine picks. He signed with the Raiders as a stopgap whom Kubiak had coached in Minnesota earlier in his career, and the contract was built so that it was close to a one-year commitment. A $10 million roster bonus that was guaranteed to him is now owed by the Vikings instead of the Raiders.
Kubiak said practices have shown Mendoza improving in accuracy, running the huddle, handling two-minute drills and reading the offense, and that the rookie is ready physically and mentally. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to a national championship before the Raiders drafted him. His only action so far was one fourth-quarter drive in a road loss to New England on Oct. 11.
The timing comes as Las Vegas sits at 4-5 after a 38-17 loss to San Francisco, its fifth defeat in six games. The Raiders are still a game behind New England for the final AFC playoff spot, but Spytek said the front office weighed pushing for the last eight games against taking what Minnesota offered, and chose the future. Kubiak thanked Cousins for the example he set in the quarterback room, including his preparation and work habits.
