Quarterback · Las Vegas Raiders

Kirk Cousins

No. 8 · 15th season

Cousins is playing well. That might not be the point anymore.

Kirk Cousins is doing what he was brought in to do. His offensive coordinator says so. The problem is, that might not be enough to keep the job.

Cousins is a veteran quarterback who has spent his career trying to outrun one recurring question: what happens when the team decides to move on? In Las Vegas, that question is back, and it has a name attached to it.

Klint Kubiak, the Raiders' offensive coordinator, said recently that Cousins has played really good football this time of year. That is a genuine compliment. It is also the kind of compliment that sounds different when a younger quarterback is already waiting in the wings.

Fernando Mendoza is expected to eventually take over as the starter. That word — eventually — does a lot of work. It says: not yet. It also says: soon.

For Cousins, playing well is the only card he has to play. Whether it is the right card for this particular hand, only the organization knows.

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