The Las Vegas Raiders have a September 27 matchup on tap with young QB Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints that could hinge on star tight end Brock Bowers' newly announced injury status. Raiders QB Kirk Cousins, who got an NFL award prediction recently, will find out a lot about himself in the upcoming duel with the Saints' talented signal caller as rumors swirl about a possible trade opening the door for rookie Fernando Mendoza to start.
Cousins' name was prominently mentioned by Tom Pelissero of The Ringer, who said there are “really interesting” possible trade scenarios to keep an eye out for with Vegas.
“The one that'll be really interesting will be Kirk Cousins. He's playing at a good level right now. He's on sort of a one-year contract but it actually has a tail on it where the Raiders have an exclusive window next March to either cut him or trade him, or potentially pick up his option, so they've got time to kinda play this thing out. What the Raiders are going to have to decide is, are you willing to trade him?
“If 2-0 becomes like 3-1 or 4-2…Let's say they're still in it…Do you really do it? They're gonna ride with Kirk as long as they're alive (in the playoff hunt),” Pelissero added, saying the situation will be dictated by circumstances and could change if an injury to another QB happens.
Bowers' return will change the equation for the better in Vegas as head coach Klint Kubiak continues to weigh the pros and cons of potentially starting rookie QB Fernando Mendoza later this year. The Raiders look like a team in an advantageous situation, which will play in Cousins' favor as he looks to guide his team to another win and keep his starting job.