Kirk Cousins details 'life-giving call with' Tom Brady before signing with Raiders

Before quarterback Kirk Cousins signed what is basically a one-year, $20M contract to join the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, first-year Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak hinted that he'd prefer for a rookie such as presumed 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza to spend at least part of his debut pro season sitting behind a proven veteran. 

It sounds like a chat with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady helped convince Cousins to decide his future now instead of waiting for an advertised better opportunity to possibly arise later this year. 

Tom Brady convinced Kirk Cousins that Cousins would be a "good fit" for the Raiders

"Tom’s been great," Cousins said during a recent appearance on NFL Network, per Zahid Rashid of Athlon Sports. "I do a lot of homework before I move my family somewhere, so I had a lot of conversations with people in the Raiders organization, and one of those was with Tom. I texted him, called him, and he actually FaceTimed me while I was at baseball practice. I stepped away and talked with him for a minute, just to get on the same page, understand the vision of the organization, and see what he saw ahead and whether I’d be a good fit."

Brady has made it known over the years that he's in favor of rookie quarterbacks developing as backups, like he did when the New England Patriots had Drew Bledsoe on their roster during the 2000 season. Of course, Brady was the 199th pick of that year's draft. The Raiders are expected to make Mendoza the first choice of the 2026 player-selection process on the night of April 23. 

"I got off the call, and I called my wife. I said, 'That was a really life-giving call with Tom.' He gets it," Cousins continued. "He’s been where I’ve been, and then some. He understands what it needs to look like, and I felt really like a shot in the arm after talking to him, and I felt like that was a big nudge for me to come to Vegas."

How Tom Brady could be a positive for Kirk Cousins

Cousins is a 37-year-old quarterback who has been in the NFL since the 2012 draft and, thus, has seen just about everything an opposing defense can throw his way. However, that doesn't mean he can't learn a thing or two from the living legend seen by many as the GOAT. 

"He just wants to be a resource," Cousins added about Brady, according to Ryan Canfield of Fox News Digital. "I don't know that he's going to be around all the time, but he's always a phone call, text away. And I think to have a guy who's won seven Super Bowls, a phone call or text away who's embedded in your organization, that’s got to be a positive." 

Cousins eventually will have to step aside and hand the QB1 gig to Mendoza. For now, the Raiders seem to want both Cousins and Brady to serve as mentors for a young man who ideally will become a franchise savior.