Raiders, QB Kirk Cousins Agree To Deal
The Raiders’ interest in Kirk Cousins has indeed produced an agreement. A deal is in place, agent Mike McCartney announced on Thursday.
Vegas was identified yesterday as a suitor in Cousins’ case. The team remains on course to select Fernando Mendoza first overall in this month’s draft, but adding veteran insurance has been a goal this offseason. Head coach Klint Kubiak recently noted his preference for having Mendoza sit at the beginning of his NFL career, pointing to a signing such as this.
[RELATED: Details On Raiders’ Cousins Agreement]
Cousins has been on the market since his long-expected Falcons release. The four-time Pro Bowler did not wind up being traded during the 2025 offseason, setting up a second campaign in Atlanta. Cousins still wound up making eight starts this past season despite Michael Penix Jr. opening the year atop the depth chart. The Falcons proceeded with a cut in Cousins’ case, ending his tenure with the team halfway through a four-year, $160MM contract. Penix and Tua Tagovailoa will compete for the QB1 gig in Atlanta this summer.
No such training camp battle should be anticipated in Vegas given today’s news. Cousins will be tasked with handling starting duties while Mendoza begins his NFL acclimation period. A stint atop the depth chart at some point during the 2026 campaign can of course be expected for the Heisman winner, considering the timeline along which rookie quarterbacks enter the lineup in the modern NFL. For now, though, Cousins will prepare for a period where he is positioned to lead an offense.
Vegas traded for Geno Smith last offseason, reuniting him with head coach Pete Carroll. Nothing went according to plan on offense in 2025, though, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly did not last the full season. It came as no surprise when Carroll was fired immediately after the campaign ended, nor when it became clear Smith would not return for 2026. He was traded to the Jets, creating the need for a veteran acquisition. Cousins, who will be 38 by the start of next season, certainly fits the bill.
Prior to today’s Raiders agreement, the Packers, Rams and Steelers had been linked to Cousins. Each of those teams could stand to add an experienced passer to their depth chart, with Pittsburgh’s QB1 role uncertain until Aaron Rodgers‘ decision on his playing future is made. The backup spots in Green Bay and Los Angeles, meanwhile, will need to be filled by another free agent or a draft pick.
Cousins’ six-year Vikings tenure came to an abrupt end when he suffered an Achilles tear midway through the 2023 season. His preference would have been to remain in Minnesota, but the potential for a multiyear starting spot in Atlanta led to his free agent departure. Things changed unexpectedly when Penix was drafted shortly thereafter, and Cousins was replaced atop the Falcons’ depth chart late in his debut season with the team. In all, he made 22 starts with Atlanta and posted several numbers below his career average while totaling 28 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions.
Expectations will be tempered upon arrival in Vegas for Cousins as a result. He is already owed $10MM from the Falcons for 2026, however, so this deal may not require a major financial commitment on the part of the Raiders.
Details On Raiders QB Kirk Cousins’ Deal
After spending three weeks on the open market, quarterback Kirk Cousins joined the fourth franchise of his 14-year NFL career Thursday. Cousins is heading to Las Vegas, where he could open 2026 as a bridge starter in front of soon-to-be No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders brought Cousins in on a contract that could max out at five years and $172MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but there is no chance of that happening. This will likely end up a a one-year, $20MM investment in the four-time Pro Bowler. The Falcons, who cut Cousins last month, will handle $8.7MM of the tab. The Raiders gave Cousins a $1.3MM salary and a fully guaranteed $10MM roster bonus that they will pay out on the third day of the league year in 2027.
Two days after the Raiders pay Cousins’ bonus next March, a two-year, fully guaranteed option worth $80MM will kick in if he is still on their roster, Pelissero reports. That makes this a three-year, $81.3MM pact on paper, Pelissero notes, but it is highly improbable his option will vest. The Raiders added two void years to the end of the deal, meaning Cousins will be on their books through 2030.
While the 37-year-old Cousins’ stock is down after back-to-back subpar seasons in Atlanta, he and agent Mike McCartney did well for themselves yet again. The two have been masterful in negotiations, evidenced by the fact that Cousins will go past Tom Brady for second on the NFL career earnings list when he collects his $10MM bonus next year (via Spotrac). Cousins will climb over the $341MM mark then, while Brady wrapped up his legendary 23-year career at $333MM.
Brady, now a part-owner of the Raiders, is behind only Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for now. Having already taken home over $408MM, the 38-year-old Stafford could secure a raise before next season. Doing so would make it even more difficult for someone to catch him in the near future.
Cousins entered the league as a Washington fourth-round pick in 2012, the same year the franchise chose Robert Griffin III second overall. Griffin’s once-promising career flamed out as a result of injuries, leading to Cousins taking over as Washington’s full-time starter in 2015. Cousins went on to play 2016 and ’17 under the franchise tag, earning approximately $44MM in those two seasons. He then left for a Vikings offer worth $84MM over three years. That was the first fully guaranteed contract in league history, but it was not the last enormous payday for Cousins. He later pulled in two more Vikings extensions that combined for three years and $101MM.
Cousins’ Vikings tenure came to an end when he left for the Falcons’ four-year, $180MM offer in 2024. Despite awarding Cousins $100MM in guaranteed money, the Falcons cut him halfway through the pact. Cousins will now attempt to put together a renaissance season in Las Vegas, where he will play a staggering 11th straight year on a fully guaranteed contract.
Raiders Could Pursue Kirk Cousins
A successful starter for the majority of his 14-year career, free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins may have to settle for a backup job if he plays in 2026. The Raiders are potential suitors for the 37-year-old, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Las Vegas is widely expected to use the No. 1 pick in the draft on Indiana Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is already learning the team’s offense. Still, there is room on the roster for a veteran mentor. Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders’ lone QB under contract, does not fit the description. Cognizant of that, the Raiders attempted to sign 41-year-old Joe Flacco before he re-upped with the Bengals, according to Fowler.
Having struck out on Flacco, the Raiders’ attention could soon turn to Cousins. The four-time Pro Bowler has also been linked to the Packers, Rams and Steelers since the Falcons released him. The Packers (Jordan Love) and Rams (Matthew Stafford) have high-end starters, while the Steelers’ job is open. They are awaiting an answer from free agent Aaron Rodgers, their starter during an AFC North-winning 2025 campaign. If the 42-year-old Rodgers retires, Cousins may prefer to land in Pittsburgh. Considering career backup Mason Rudolph and 2025 seventh-rounder Will Howard are the Steelers’ only QBs, Cousins will be the favorite to start if he signs with them.
Although expectations are the Raiders will plug Mendoza in immediately, new head coach Klint Kubiak has left the door open for a veteran to start Week 1.
Discussing rookie signal-callers this week, Kubiak stated (via Myles Simmons of PFT): “I think in a perfect world, he’s watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team. But, the situation is, you might have that player, you might not have that veteran to show him the way. So he might come in and have to play immediately. But you’d rather him learn, learn before he gets in the game.”
That answer may appeal to Cousins, as could his familiarity with Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. A Viking from 2018-23, Cousins spent part of his run in Minnesota working with both coaches. Kubiak combined for three years as the Vikings’ QBs coach (2019-20) and offensive coordinator (2021). Janocko succeeded Kubiak as Minnesota’s QBs coach in 2021. Cousins earned his third Pro Bowl nod that year after amassing 4,221 yards, tossing 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and posting a 103.1 passer rating.
While Cousins put up big numbers in both Minnesota and Washington earlier in his career, his performance has declined since he suffered a torn Achilles in 2023. Although Cousins reeled in a whopping four-year, $160MM contract with the Falcons in 2024, he only got halfway into the deal before they cut the cord. Cousins lost his starting spot to then-rookie Michael Penix Jr. late in his first season with the Falcons. Penix remained the Falcons’ starter until he partially tore his ACL in Week 11 last season, leading to Cousins regaining his old job to finish the campaign. Over 10 games and five starts, Cousins completed 61.7% of passes, threw 10 TDs against five INTs, and registered an 84.8 rating.
Packers Interested In Kirk Cousins
MARCH 31: Gutekunst noted (via Schneidman) it is “certainly a possibility” Ridder and McCord will simply compete amongst each other for the backup gig. If one or both of those two show encouraging signs over the course of offseason work, Green Bay’s interest in Cousins may begin to wane.
MARCH 30: The Packers continue to search for a new QB2 behind Jordan Love, and they could turn to one of the most intriguing options still on the market. GM Brian Gutekunst admitted to reporters that he’s discussed pursuing Kirk Cousins as a backup.
[RELATED: Rams Interested In Kirk Cousins]
“Yeah, we’ve discussed a lot of those options,” Gutekunst said (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic). “Obviously that’s a guy who’s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we’ve certainly discussed all those kind of things.”
With Malik Willis taking a big-money deal in Miami, the Packers are seeking a new backup for Love, who’s missed two games in each of the past two seasons. At the moment, former third-round pick Desmond Ridder is penciled in as the backup, with Kyle McCord also sticking on the offseason roster.
Predictably, that’s led to plenty of speculation that the Packers will eventually find a new option to fill out the depth chart. The organization has already been connected to Anthony Richardson, who requested a trade out of Indy. The former fourth-overall pick would be more of a reclamation project, similar to Willis when he initially joined the Packers. However, the organization is also apparently pursuing former starters for their QB2 role.
We heard earlier this month that Cousins was going to be patient as he pursued his next gig. There’s been some assumption that the veteran would prefer a starting job, and he’d be willing to wait to sign until after the draft so he’d have full clarity on depth charts. Still, that hasn’t stopped teams with a definitive QB1 from considering a run at the four-time Pro Bowler. We heard earlier today that the Rams were among the team’s interested in the 37-year-old.
Cousins stint in Atlanta came to a predictable end earlier this month. His first season with the Falcons was a disappointment, as he guided the team to a 7-7 record while leading the NFL with 16 interceptions. He started the 2025 campaign behind Michael Penix on the depth chart, but Cousins worked his way back into the starting lineup when his teammate suffered a season-ending knee injury. The veteran’s 2025 season saw him go 5-3 as a starter, with the QB completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Considering how his Falcons stint unfolded, it’s not surprising that QB-needy teams weren’t immediately jumping at Cousins to lead their depth chart. Potential suitors may reconsider that approach, especially if any injuries emerge during the spring or summer. If Cousins wants to secure a gig before that, he may have to settle for a backup opportunity with a contender.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers are still considering a reunion with a late-season acquisition. Gutekunst acknowledged that the team could re-sign cornerback Trevon Diggs.
“I wouldn’t shut the door on anything,” the GM said (h/t Jason B. Hirschhorn). “As we work through this draft and get to the other side of the draft, we’re going to continue to look at ways to improve the football team.”
After getting dumped by the Cowboys late in the season, Diggs caught on with the Packers via waivers. He got into a single game with his new squad, collecting a pair of tackles while getting into about half his team’s defensive snaps. Green Bay predictably moved on from the cornerback in January to avoid the remaining money on his five-year, $97MM Cowboys-designed extension.
Rams Interested In Kirk Cousins; Team Open To Re-Signing Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to be in position to join the Cardinals early in free agency. Talks between team and player did not result in an agreement, however, and the veteran quarterback remains unsigned at this point.
Garoppolo has spent the past two years with the Rams, serving as Matthew Stafford‘s backup. That tenure continuing into 2026 is something the team would welcome. Head coach Sean McVay has identified Los Angeles’ preferred option in the event Garoppolo does not return.
[RELATED: Packers Interested In Kirk Cousins]
During an appearance on PFT Live (video link), McVay named Kirk Cousins as a free agent also on the team’s radar. Cousins overlapped with McVay during their time together in Washington, and a reunion would give the Rams a high-profile QB2 option for next season. As things stand, only Stetson Bennett is on the roster aside from Stafford. At least one addition will be made.
“People make some of the connections with Kirk,” McVay said. “If it doesn’t work out with Jimmy, that’s definitely something that — Kirk is as influential as anybody in helping me get to L.A. in the first place. I know he’s got some other options and some other suitors, but Jimmy and Kirk are guys that I’d love to have back with us.”
Kirk’s Falcons tenure came to an expected end when he was released at the start of the new league year. The 37-year-old is one of the top passers still on the market, but he is expected to remain patient while weighing his options. Cousins may very well wait until after the draft before making a decision. Especially if the Rams do not add a rookie, they will no doubt be linked to him as a potential landing spot.
Cousins made 22 starts across his two Atlanta campaigns, while Garoppolo has attempted just 41 passes in the regular season since arriving in Los Angeles. The latter is younger and would presumably be less expensive to sign, a factor which will no doubt weigh heavily in considerations on Los Angeles’ part. Garoppolo has played on a pair of one-year contracts worth just over $3MM as a member of the Rams.
That could continue for a third year, depending on how his market takes shape during the secondary waves of free agency. If not, Cousins will be a Rams target to watch closely as the offseason QB market unfolds.
Kirk Cousins Weighing All Options In Free Agency
MARCH 20: SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora echoes the sentiment that Cousins is in position to wait until deep into the spring to decide on his next move. A few more QB dominoes may need to fall before his latest NFL contract is in place.
MARCH 17: After attempting to force his way into free agency last offseason, Kirk Cousins finally got his wish last week. However, the veteran remains available after the first wave of signings and is still considering all of his options, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
One of the best landing spots would have been Kansas City. The Chiefs needed a starter until Patrick Mahomes completes his recovery from last December’s ACL tear, so Cousins could have had guaranteed playing time on a contending team to start the year. A successful season under Andy Reid certainly would have boosted his stock into 2027.
The Chiefs, however, traded for Justin Fields to bridge the gap until Mahomes’ return. The Falcons similarly signed Tua Tagovailoa to battle Michael Penix Jr. for a starting job, and the Colts have Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard behind Daniel Jones in the event he cannot recover from his Achilles tear by Week 1. No other team has an injured starter, though Cousins’ history with Sean McVay in Washington could make him a natural fit as Matt Stafford‘s backup in Los Angeles, especially with Gardner Minshew following Mike LaFleur to Arizona.
There are two starting jobs available, Breer notes, in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas. Both teams, though, are expected to go with different quarterbacks. The Steelers are poised to reunite Aaron Rodgers with new head coach Mike McCarthy, and Fernando Mendoza has been projected for the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick since the regular season ended.
Cousins ending up in Pittsburgh would likely only happen if Rodgers retires, and he would probably have to win the job against Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and potentially a rookie taken in April’s draft.
The Raiders may consider sitting Mendoza in his first year to continue his development, but quarterbacks drafted in the top-five picks typically start right away. The reigning Heisman winner will also turn 23 years old as a rookie and seems ready for the NFL after leading Indiana to a national championship. However, new head coach Klint Kubiak was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach (2019-2020) and offensive coordinator (2021) for one of the best stretches of Cousins’ career and could see him as a valuable mentor and placeholder for Mendoza as he gets his pro footing.
Cousins could also wait, Breer adds. Other teams could have interest in Cousins if their quarterback situations were to suddenly change with an injury. This would remind of last year, when Cousins preferred to see how every team’s QB depth chart looked post-draft. But no trade commenced then. With the Falcons having cut the cord following an organizational overhaul, Cousins should have a lower-stakes free agency decision to make at some point this offseason.
Falcons Release QB Kirk Cousins
New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham recently confirmed Kirk Cousins would be released at the start of the new league year. With that checkpoint having been reached this afternoon, Cousins is indeed a free agent.
The Pro Bowl quarterback has been cut, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms. Cousins’ Atlanta run ends halfway through the four-year, $160MM pact he signed in free agency. A much less lucrative deal will await this time around. This is coming through a post-June 1 designation, per a team announcement. $2.1MM in cap savings will be generated with the Falcons taking on $22.5MM in dead money charges which can be spread out over the next two years.
Atlanta is set to move forward with Michael Penix Jr. at the quarterback spot. The team has also lined up a deal with Tua Tagovailoa, and the ex-Dolphin will operate as a highly inexpensive option under center. It has long been clear Cousins, 37, would be moving on from the Falcons this offseason. His attention will now turn to free agency, although a number of QB spots have already been filled at this point.
Cousins has been mentioned as a candidate to return to Minnesota. Over six years with the Vikings, he largely delivered strong play up to the Achilles tear which ended his 2023 campaign. Kyler Murray has also been released today, however, and Minnesota is widely regarded as the top landing spot in that case.
As a result, Cousins may soon be joining a fourth career team. The former fourth-round pick is likely to line up yet another short-term deal during the latter stages of his career. Pittsburgh was recently named as a potential suitor in this case. That would make sense in the event Aaron Rodgers – whose intentions are not yet known – decides not to play in 2026. The Steelers would be left as one of the few teams without a veteran starter in that instance.
Another team to watch in this case could be the Raiders. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports Vegas can be expected to pursue a Cousins agreement. Geno Smith has been traded to the Jets, leaving the Raiders without an experienced passer. Fernando Mendoza remains on track to be selected first overall in April’s draft. If Vegas prefers to have him sit at the start of his career, adding someone like Cousins could prove to be a prudent move.
Cousins struggled when atop the Falcons’ depth chart in 2024. He was benched in favor of Penix late that season. Cousins then won five of his eight starts during this past campaign, throwing 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He will likely be counted on as a bridge starter once more, depending on the QB situation he enters with his next deal.
Steelers Interested In Kirk Cousins?
Kirk Cousins will be released by the Falcons tomorrow, ending his two-year run in Atlanta. That could lead to interest from a few QB-needy teams, including the Steelers.
[RELATED: Steelers To Acquire, Extend WR Michael Pittman Jr.]
Pittsburgh’s quarterback plan for 2026 hinges once again on Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer is expected to arrive at a decision on his playing future sooner than he did last year, but at this point it remains to be seen if his career will continue. A second Pittsburgh campaign would be welcomed, but the team obviously needs to have contingencies in place as well.
Bringing in a different veteran passer could serve that purpose. SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora reports Cousins is “among the top options” the Steelers are considering as a fallback in the event Rodgers does not return. Pittsburgh also has backup Mason Rudolph in the fold, while La Canfora confirms the team remains high on the potential of 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard.
At least one more season with an experienced passer would buy time for Howard to continue developing. It could also provide the Steelers with a bridge to the 2027 draft, which is expected to provide teams with more options at the QB spot than April’s edition of the event. Cousins has not worked with new Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy before, but he would be expected to ensure the team still has a high floor in the event of a short-term deal being worked out. Cousins, 37, is younger than Rodgers and is further removed from the Achilles tear which ended his productive 2023 campaign.
That season proved to be Cousins’ last in Minnesota, although a Vikings reunion has been floated as a possibility. Nevertheless, recent reporting – including today’s La Canfora update – has pointed to Kyler Murray as Minnesota’s top QB target. That could leave the Steelers in line to make a Cousins push depending on how things play out with respect to Rodgers’ future.
Vikings Considering Kyler Murray, Geno Smith; Team Interested In Tua Tagovailoa?
We have been hearing for some time that the Vikings plan to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason. During a recent appearance on the Scoop City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic threw cold water on the notion that a Minnesota-Kirk Cousins reunion could be in the cards, though she did acknowledge that the Vikes could look to add to their QB room (video link).
Russini reiterated Minnesota still wants to develop McCarthy in the hopes that he can live up to his first-round draft status, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano likewise confirms the Vikings are not ready to give up on the Michigan product. Still, the club seems to want to make McCarthy earn the starting job in 2026, and in addition to Cousins, names like Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson have been floated as possibilities.
There may be mutual interest between the Vikings and Richardson, who would be acquired via trade with the Colts. As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted last month, a trade could be the most likely way for Minnesota to add McCarthy competition, because a free agent with options may not want to sign without assurances that they will be given first crack at the QB1 role. Other trade possibilities, per Graziano, include the Eagles’ Tanner McKee and the Texans’ Davis Mills.
Mills was linked to the Vikings in a November report, just like Murray was. Graziano says signs continue to point to a Murray release, which means he will be a free agent in short order (and therefore may not want to hitch his wagon to a team that still has high hopes for its incumbent starter).
Just as Arizona is likely to cut Murray, the Dolphins are expected to release Tua Tagovailoa in the near future, with Graziano confirming the cut will likely be made with a post-June 1 designation. With respect to their possible free agent targets, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (in the same Graziano piece linked above) reports the Vikings have Murray and the Raiders’ Geno Smith in their first tier of preferred options, with Cousins and Tagovailoa in the second tier.
Smith, though, may not make it to the open market. As our Nikhil Mehta recently suggested, it may behoove the Raiders to retain Smith as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza, whom Las Vegas is all but certain to select with the top pick in this year’s draft. Per Graziano, coaches from multiple QB-needy outfits are anxious to see if the Raiders will release Smith, as they believe the 35-year-old was held back by the Silver-and-Black’s offensive system in 2025. The Raiders may feel the same and could therefore keep Smith in the fold.
If they do choose to part ways, Fowler believes the Vikings make plenty of sense as a landing spot. He adds that many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination, likely due to the presence of head coach Kevin O’Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (though again, it is possible that McCarthy and Minnesota’s hopes for him could act as something of a deterrent).
It still seems fair to expect the Vikings to add a QB. Whether they can lure a high-profile player like Murray or Tagovailoa or will need to execute a trade for a passer like Mills or McKee is the question.
QB-Needy Teams Have Options Through Draft, Free Agency
It’s really not a surprise at this point in time, but reports indicate that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza getting drafted No. 1 overall by the Raiders is all but a sure thing. Mendoza cemented himself as the likely first overall pick even before the Hoosiers’ championship run through the College Football Playoff secured his Heisman win, and as soon as Las Vegas secured the top pick in the draft, Mendoza’s move to Nevada became a near certainty.
Nothing is ever 100% sure, though, and there is always a possibility that the Raiders look at next year’s wide crop of quarterback prospects and an historic trade offer for the No. 1 overall pick and choose that route.
Overwhelmingly, though, pundits across the media spectrum believe that Vegas will retain their top overall pick and make things official with Mendoza. During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer dropped a number of quotes, saying, “I would be stunned if (Mendoza) didn’t go No. 1, right? I think it’s highly unlikely he goes anywhere but Vegas.”
Over at ESPN, a crew of reporters polled several NFL executives on the topic at the Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, and Super Bowl, and eight executives believed the Raiders would keep the pick, while no votes were tallied against that possibility. Separately, ESPN’s Rich Cimini asked Jets general manager Darren Mougey about the possibility of reaching out to Vegas to inquire about moving up, and he stated pretty plainly, “I don’t think that’s happening.” Courtney Cronin, another ESPN contributor, added to the crowd yesterday with a piece on Mendoza’s meeting with the Raiders and his excitement at the prospect of potentially being mentored by minority team owner Tom Brady.
Now, for teams with a need at quarterback not located in Sin City, the other obvious solutions are to go after one of the top free agent quarterbacks available — namely, Green Bay’s Malik Willis or Indianapolis’ Daniel Jones — or attempt to trade for San Francisco’s Mac Jones. After impressive 2025 contributions, both Joneses are expected to stay home, though, and only one team will get to claim Willis as a solution, but there is still a solvable equation for the teams that remain.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the teams that are still looking to acquire a passer after the above dust settles will be able to look toward either the litany of veteran quarterbacks with starting experience available for cheap or the numerous rookie passers who may be worth taking a flyer on or some combination of both.
Rapoport points to several veteran former starters who are thought to be release candidates and who may, in the same vein as Russell Wilson, be able to play for the veteran minimum, thanks to the added security of guaranteed money from the teams who may let them go. This situation would apply to players like Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Fields, and Geno Smith.
Teams can sign one of these quarterbacks to audition for a Jones-like comeback opportunity then pair them with a young, rookie option that may be available later on in the 2026 NFL Draft. After Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has drawn some first-round interest, but there is a perceived drop off in the arms that follow. The next names on the list — LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Miami’s Carson Beck, Penn State’s Drew Allar, etc. — could fall anywhere in the draft.
Some see 2026 much like the 2022 NFL Draft, in which Kenny Pickett was the only Day 1 quarterback, and the next passer was taken in the third round. Others believe 2026 could be more like 2018 or 2024, when two passers were widely viewed as first-round talents but several others drifted into the first round based on the number of teams looking for answers at the position.
With many already looking forward to the quarterback prospects of the 2027 NFL Draft, we may see multiple teams opt to employ the services of a veteran starter alone or combined with a promising rookie. These decisions will play out over the next few weeks as the veterans hit free agency after release and draft grades are determined for rookies, but there are several options available to teams looking for quarterback help for 2026.