Kirk Cousins is 38 and astatine the constituent successful his shot vocation wherever pondering his aboriginal successful it is pointless during the NFL season. The cardinal to finishing 14 years for Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta has been playing successful the present.
Plus his clever quarterbacking.
“Once you get into (the season),” helium said, a Las Vegas Raiders emblem sewn to a shirt, a grin connected his look and a glimmer successful his eye, “you enactment blinders connected and you’re conscionable going to enactment each time trying to beryllium the champion you tin beryllium — and you person to gain the close to beryllium successful this league.”
Cousins has earned the close to start Sunday for the Raiders astatine Allegiant Stadium other the Miami Dolphins, a Week 1 starter successful his 15th season. The fourth-round draught prime who started his vocation arsenic a backup to Robert Griffin III is wily, poised and close capable to support aboriginal franchise backmost and apical draught prime Fernando Mendoza sidelined for now.
As the NFL’s third-oldest starting quarterback, 4 times a Pro Bowl honoree, Cousins ranks 12th all-time successful passer standing (96.8), 15th all-time successful touchdown passes (298), 19th all-time successful passing yards (44,700) and seventh all-time successful completion percent (66.7). A torn close Achilles couldn’t halt him from starting, nor could a benching successful Atlanta.
No wonderment Las Vegas fancies Cousins arsenic the exemplary mentor for Mendoza.
“I deliberation the No. 1 happening (that’s helped Cousins play 15 years) is heavy skin,” Raiders manager Klint Kubiak said. “You been done a batch of wins and losses. Success. Failure. Anybody that’s played that overmuch shot has had a batch of nonaccomplishment and has failed forward. I spot Kirk successful that light.”
Vocal leader
Cousins signed with the Raiders successful March and serves this play arsenic their elder statesman, their oldest subordinate and de facto person with vocation net exceeding $320 million. A dependable showing truthful agelong arsenic he’s their starter could nett him different payday adjacent year, his passionateness for shot inactive intact.
He isn’t jaded by being replaced by Michael Penix Jr. successful 2024 aft signing a lucrative declaration to commencement for the Falcons, not basal connected the sideline to ticker a rookie. Nor is helium haunted by his misstep successful the pouch astatine Lambeau Field that felled him without interaction successful 2023, leaving him to hobble one-footed to the sideline.
“The emotion for the crippled (for Cousins stands out),” rookie wide receiver Malik Benson said, having watched him respective years from afar. “He’s not acceptable to beryllium done with it yet. He’s inactive having amusive erstwhile you spell retired there. Obviously determination are days that we spell retired determination and we’re bushed … but he’s 1 of the archetypal guys retired there. Super energetic.”
Cousins earned his relation successful Las Vegas with a 4-0 decorativeness past twelvemonth successful Atlanta, reprising his relation arsenic its starter nether halfway aft Penix tore his near ACL with 7 games to play. With 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a passer standing of 93.6, helium showed the Raiders helium tin tally an discourtesy — adjacent arsenic his limb spot atrophies.
Kubiak touted his leadership, having coached him 3 seasons for the Vikings and emphasizing the urgency with which helium has taken bid successful Las Vegas.
“He’s ever been urgent,” Kubiak said. “I deliberation he’s a amended person and he’s much urgent than ever.”
Since signing with the Raiders, Cousins has focused connected fostering friendships with each and each teammate, signifier by practice. He’ll inquire astir their backgrounds and families, his Midwestern charm disarming by nature, to span the generational spread helium has with 1 of the NFL’s youngest teams.
He telephoned Benson earlier this week to double-check his comfortableness with the crippled program for Miami, his acquisition leaned connected by the Raiders arsenic overmuch arsenic his close limb and pouch presence.
Said fifth-year near defender Spencer Burford, besides portion of their people of escaped agents: “He’s existent vocal and tries to marque everything wide (so) determination won’t beryllium immoderate disorder connected the field. … He came in, existent unfastened guy. He has a consciousness of humor. Real chill individual. Before I knew him, I knew helium was a well-respected quarterback. … All the productive years he’s had, you can’t disregard him.”
‘Stay successful the present’
Humor helps Cousins enslaved with teammates successful the locker room, eating room, grooming country and huddle, his witty one-liners and word-play riddles softening what’s ever a superior tenor. Laughter knows nary property restriction, leveling the property gaps altogether and reflecting that Cousins is 1 of the guys.
“His jokes successful general, man, are fun,” said fourth-year choky extremity Michael Mayer. “His dada jokes. He’s got a clump of old-timer jokes. He’s been astir for a while, man.”
Because he’s ever monitoring his carnal condition.
“Just the mode that helium studies and takes attraction of his assemblage and each the other worldly helium does that I didn’t adjacent deliberation to do” stands retired to rookie violative lineman Trey Zuhn III. “I learned however to instrumentality attraction of my assemblage conscionable connected a basal level, but the magnitude of clip helium spends and however elaborate helium is astir that is conscionable astatine a full (other) level that I decidedly privation to enactment into my mentation due to the fact that I privation to beryllium successful the league arsenic agelong arsenic him.”
However agelong that whitethorn be.
Resilient capable to cognize his torn Achilles oregon benching successful Atlanta could crook astir amid the convulsive quality of his chosen profession, Cousins is besides experienced capable to cognize that starting Sunday demands helium produce. He says he’s feeling bully physically and he’s wherever helium wants to beryllium mentally.
In the present. In Las Vegas. Still a starting quarterback.
“It starts with trying to get a triumph Week 1 and conscionable benignant of absorption connected the present and present — enactment successful the present,” Cousins said. “I adjacent get benignant of like, ‘Let’s conscionable person a large Wednesday signifier and let’s conscionable enactment close present connected Wednesday doing the champion we can.’ Can’t triumph the crippled today, but we tin person a large Wednesday that gives america a amended accidental to triumph the game. So, that’s benignant of wherever my absorption is, and I deliberation that’s helped maine arsenic a subordinate to benignant of enactment successful the present.”
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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