Good. Finally.
The Raiders are 4-5, they’ve lost five of six, and the defense has given up at least 30 points in six straight games. Trading Kirk Cousins in a season like that gets a shrug from me and a “what took so long.”
We have acquired a third-round pick via trade from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for QB Kirk Cousins.
📰: https://t.co/Y1klWXtCEB pic.twitter.com/byz1pc1kqL
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 10, 2026
Cousins did the bridge job, and I think the numbers back it up: 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight picks for Las Vegas. Fine. Respectable. Also the guy who beat Mendoza for the Week 1 job and still couldn’t keep this thing from sliding into a ditch.
Keeping him through January would have told us nothing. A 38-year-old veteran grinding out the rest of a 4-5 season answers zero questions about the future of the franchise.
The return is one third-round pick, Minnesota’s 2027 selection. Packers coach Matt LaFleur, as relayed by Ryan Wood and posted by Underdog NFL, said he was “surprised they didn’t get more for him.” Sure. But you don’t trade a 38-year-old on a losing team for a king’s ransom, and the pick isn’t the point anyway.
Matt LaFleur on Kirk Cousins trade to Vikings, via @ByRyanWood:
"I was surprised they didn't get more for him, quite honestly. I was shocked when I saw what they were trading him for."
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) November 11, 2026
The point is Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, who by all reporting is set to start Sunday against Seattle. GM John Spytek said Mendoza has “shown us he’s ready. Not only physically, but mentally.” He also stopped short of saying the kid has earned it, which is a very GM thing to say.
Kubiak was more honest about it: “I anticipate it being a transition. We’re going to find out together.”
Finding out is the whole job now. The Raiders have a kid and a bad defense, and for the first time all year they’re asking the right question.
Kirk, enjoy Minnesota. Say hi to the clipboard for us.
