RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesJun 9, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak (left) and quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The last time Klint Kubiak and Kirk Cousins were together back in 2019 in Minnesota, the coach was a up-and-coming 32-year-old offensive coordinator while the quarterback had turned 31 years old and entered his eighth year in the NFL.
After spending three seasons with the Vikings and making other stops along the way, the duo are seen as the beacons of hope for the Silver & Black heading into 2026.
Kubiak, now 39, is well into his first season as an NFL head coach helming the Las Vegas Raiders. And one of the biggest pieces of his upcoming offense is Cousins, a soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran (on August 19) that’s been identified as the team’s starting quarterback while prized No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza is in watch, learn, and develop mode.
“I think in this league, it’s kind of one day at a time,” Cousins said when asked what it means to be named the definitive starter after the Raiders training camp session this past Wednesday. “You’re only as good as your last throw, your last practice. You try to every day go out and earn that opportunity and never take anything for granted.”
The reunions extends beyond the head coach and quarterback.
There’s Andrew Janocko, who is one of Kubiak’s most trusted lieutenants as current offensive coordinator in Las Vegas, and was assistant offensive line coach, wide receivers coach, and quarterbacks coach during the trio of seasons (2019-21) the three were together in Minnesota. And Rick Dennison, a veteran offensive line coach who was the offensive line boss and run game coordinator in Minny for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
By The Numbers Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, 15th Year
2025: 10 games (8 starts), 166 of 269 (61.7 completion percentage), 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 13 sacks, 84.8 QB rating; 14 carries, 7 yards, 1 touchdown
Career: (2012-25) 174 games (167 starts), 3,934 of 5,899 (66.7 completion percentage), 44,700 yards, 298 touchdowns, 131 interceptions, 345 sacks, 96.8 QB rating; carries, 965 yards, 20 touchdowns
"If you had a game tomorrow, Kirk Cousins is your best option at quarterback" @kirkmorrison with some insight into the Raiders starting QB decision 👇 pic.twitter.com/ORDoitaL1H
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 29, 2026
It’s a keen example of the phrase: You dance with what brung ya, meaning: You should stay loyal to the people, plans, or strategies that got you to where you are.
“And that was encouraging to just see how much good football they have that they’re doing that maybe we weren’t doing four years ago or five years ago,” Cousins said of the growth he’s seen from the coaches he worked with previously. “So, that’s the way it works in this league; you just keep getting better, you keep learning new things, you keep evolving, adapting. But I came here because of who Klint and Andrew and Rick Dennison are as people, and that hasn’t changed.
“And so, that’s a big encouragement for me to know that I’m with coaches that I really feel good about. That’s a big part of having success in this league.”
The engrained familiarity gives Kubiak a head start on his rendition of the Raiders this season and beyond and that leg-up should portend to a feel-good story. The weight of just how long the good times roll sits squarely on the capable shoulders of Kubiak and Cousins. So let’s explore what the head coach and offensive play caller must do to get the most out of a veteran signal caller he’s worked with before.
Under Center & Play-Action Centric
To truly get the best out of Cousins, dialing up formations that put the heady and experienced quarterback right behind center Tyler Linderbaum to get the snap is the route Kubiak must take. Unlike how the collegiate and NFL game evolved into heavier usage of pistol and shotgun formations to give signal callers a better view to read modern defenses and escape pressure, Cousins is an old-school drop back quarterback who thrives under center due to his play-action ability and his vast pre-snap reading ability.
That’s 14 seasons with the vast majority of his reps taking the direct snap under center which has made footwork, drops, and handoffs core muscle memories as Cousins heads into Year 15, and any coach that doesn’t return to those roots is going to set themselves up for failure.
Unlike being deployed in pistol and shotgun formations to help him recover from injuries, Cousins heads into the 2026 campaign healthy and ready to go. And the deep familiarity with operating under center allows the quarterback to return to his natural rhythm. One of Cousins’ core strengths is hiding the ball from the defense and taking the ball directly from Linderbaum then completely turning his back to the defense for a handoff fake effectively shrouds the play in mystery and freezes defenders.
Even after Cousins took over for Penix, the Falcons remained out of most pistol/shotgun heavy teams in the league. A return to an under center offense could help Cousins out tremendously. https://t.co/wLtTj61syR pic.twitter.com/cfy5NyWxyN
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) July 25, 2026
Collective Game Planning & Execution
With that much equity, Cousins has no reason to be a yes man at this point in his career. And with him being so familiar with Kubiak, Cousins should have a strong voice in tailoring game plans around his strengths.
Cousins excels at executing these kind of play-action fakes and is adept at spinning around, reading the field, and locating open windows downfield due to his processing of pre-snap coverages quickly.
Of course, this key element goes nowhere without a consistent and established run game, so that’s where running back Ashton Jeanty and Dennison’s offensive line are integral.
If the big ...
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