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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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
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.
Advertisement
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.
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.
Advertisement
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 uglies in the trenches are attune to the blocking scheme Dennison and Kubiak are installing and firing on all cylinders — ditto for Jeanty and any other tailback given the ball — the better for Cousins. Because a productive ground game opens up the play-action bootlegs and rollouts which will help Cousins attack the middle of the field in Kubiak’s air attack.
We’re seeing signs of Kubiak’s ability to marry the run and pass — something he did quite well orchestrating the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning offense last season — in Las Vegas. But don’t take my word on it alone.
Advertisement
“I think the balance of the offense. As a quarterback, this is pretty basic, but the pass is sexy,” Mendoza said after the team’s Thursday minicamp practice. “I believe that the outside zone scheme and schematics of the run that comes from the Shanahan tree is a great system, and it really complements off each other. It lets the offensive line and their talents shine. It lets the running backs and their talents shine. At the end of the day, the game is built on the run.”
But Cousins’ lack of mobility and age means off-script improvisation is dampened meaning the pocket protection from the offensive line must be on point.
Brock To The Future
It’s no secret tight end Brock Bowers looms large for Kubiak’s offense in 2026 and beyond. A do-it-all-type who can run routes like a wide receiver but with the size of a tight end (6-foot-4 and 235 pounds) that can also block, the 23-year-old is lighting up training camp showcasing the talent that’s made him an elite player at his position after one spectacular rookie season in 2024.
If the practices thus far are any indication, Bowers is going to be heavily feature in Kubiak’s offense and Cousins has the intelligence and arm to get the talented tight end the ball frequently. Able to run crisp routes while also leaving defenders in the dust (doesn’t matter if it’s a linebacker or defensive back, good luck), Bowers’ ability to get open, make clutch grabs, and valuable yards after the catch are going to be spotlighted — especially if there’s even a hint of hesitation during play action.
Advertisement
And that’ll force more attention on Bowers which opens things up for other targets like speedy wide receiver Tre Tucker or physical possession wide out Jack Bech, and even Jeanty out of the backfield.
It’s going to be easier said than done, but if there’s a coaching staff and quarterback that can make things work and turn around a moribund franchise like the Raiders, you can do far worse than Kubiak, Janocko, Dennison, and Cousins.
Read the full article here