The Las Vegas Raiders face a critical offseason ahead, as the team will hire a new head coach and general manager in the coming weeks and attempt to rebuild a club that finished 4-13 in 2024 and lost ten straight games at one point.
The quarterback position in Las Vegas is in serious need of an upgrade. Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew were the team’s starters at the position for the majority of the season, although neither is capable of being a franchise signal caller. The Raiders will have a difficult time picking a quarterback in April’s draft, because Las Vegas possesses the No.6 overall pick, and there are numerous quarterback-needy clubs ahead of them in the draft order, including the
New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans.
The Raiders may have to sign or trade for a veteran to fill the position this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, who proposes sending Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins to Las Vegas and cornerback Jack Jones and a 2025 fourth-round pick to Atlanta. Because the Raiders do not have a high enough pick to select Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, Cousins may be sure that he will start for at least a full season ahead of O’Connell, Minshew, and possibly a Day 2 rookie quarterback. Cousins could start in Las Vegas for two to three years as a bridge signal-caller while the coaching staff develops a backup quarterback.
The Raiders could add.
Jack Jones joined the agreement to enhance their proposal. Jones struggled in coverage last season, allowing eight touchdowns, but he also made plays on the ball. In three years as a full-time starter, he had 16 pass breakups and three interceptions, including a pick-six. Cousins struggled with the Falcons in 2024, throwing only 18 touchdowns in 14 starts and finishing equal for the league lead with 16 interceptions. The 2012 fourth-round pick was benched before the team’s Week 16 game against the New York Giants in favor of rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., who finished the season with Atlanta.
The Raiders need a quarterback, but trading for Cousins is not the solution.
The 36-year-old is nearing the end of his career and still has three years left on the $180 million contract he signed last offseason.
If the Falcons release Cousins, signing him to a low-risk, high-reward contract in free agency makes sense. However, giving up draft money and a starting-level cornerback in Jones for a signal caller who is past his prime and on a big contract would be a poor decision by Las Vegas.
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