Cousins Set to Start Week 1 for Raiders

Tom Pelissero walks the show through what Kirk Cousins has actually been told about his Raiders role, and the answer is more settled than the public chatter suggests.

Agents and front offices are parsing every syllable of the contract for cap structure, extra years, and success-case math. Pelissero's point is that the bigger question is not the long-term structure. It is Week 1. What has Cousins been told about his shot to start?

Pelissero's reporting lines up with what head coach Pete Carroll's new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said publicly during his breakfast with media. In a perfect world, the rookie sits. Cousins has been hearing the same thing behind the scenes for several weeks.

Fernando Mendoza is the rookie in question. And Pelissero flags a real developmental hurdle. Mendoza is coming from a system where he has not played under center much. He has not had to turn his back to the line of scrimmage on play action. Those are fundamentals to the system Kubiak wants to run. Can he accelerate quickly enough to start Week 1? Maybe. But the preference from Kubiak is no.

That gives the Raiders a fallback, and Pelissero thinks it is more than a fallback. It is the plan.

There is still draft capital to deploy. More free agent moves possible. Trades on the table. But when you look at the offense the Raiders are building, the picture is clear. Austin Gauthier and Brock Bowers are real pieces to build around. They added Tyler Linderbaum at center on a three-year, $84 million deal. Pelissero points out that is almost identical to the deal Cousins signed back in 2018 that shocked the league. Centers now get that money. That is a salary cap story on its own.

The Raiders still have wide receiver needs and offensive line work to do. Cousins slots in like Linderbaum. Another way to protect the rookie when the rookie is ready.

Could Mendoza light up preseason and force the issue? Sure. But Cousins is not a cap-minimum bridge. Unlike Tua and Kyler Murray, who were on pure minimum veteran deals, Cousins is owed $11.3 million to play in 2026 regardless of whether he is on the field.

That money changes the picture. Pelissero does not see Cousins getting cut. He does not see a trade this year. Five months out from Week 1, the most likely scenario is Kirk Cousins starts for the Raiders. How long that lasts depends on Mendoza's progression.

The plan is not as murky as the headlines. The Raiders are building a protective environment and Cousins is the veteran holding the door for the rookie.