If Kirk Cousins was the Pittsburgh Steelers backup 2026 quarterback plan to Aaron Rodgers, that’s now off the table.
Cousins’s agent, Mike McCarthy, posted on X on Thursday morning the quarterback agreed to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Within minutes, NFL insiders such as Dianna Russini, Ian Rapoport, and Adam Schefter confirmed the news, quote tweeting McCarthy’s original post that congratulated Cousins.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini posted on X that the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers all had interest in Cousins.
Russini didn’t mention the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the ramifications for the club are clear.
The Steelers need to re-sign Rodgers or they will likely have a Mason Rudolph–Will Howard competition for the starting job in 2026.
“Kirk Cousins to the Raiders just removed the Steelers potential backup plan in case Aaron Rodgers doesn’t re-sign with them,” wrote Steelers insider Mark Kaboly. “If, for some unforeseen reasons, Rodgers doesn’t return to the Steelers, it’s going to be Will Howard/Mason Rudolph fighting for QB1.”
Steelers ‘Dodge a Bullet’ With Kirk Cousins Signing With Raiders?
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins’s agent, Mike McCarthy, shared on social media the signal-caller is signing a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
While NFL insiders haven’t indicated the Steelers were interested in Cousins this offseason, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show on March 26 that the Steelers tried to trade for Cousins a year ago.
After that update surfaced, many pundits considered Cousins the Plan B to Rodgers for the Steelers.
So naturally, pundits responded negatively — from the Steelers perspective — to Cousins joining Las Vegas.
Not everyone, though, saw the Steelers losing the opportunity to sign Cousins as a negative.
“It also forces the Steelers to finalize a deal with Rodgers or hand the keys over to second-year QB Will Howard or a potential draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft,” wrote Steelers on SI’s Jacob Punturi.
“Either way, the Steelers don’t have to pay and deal with Kirk Cousins. Consider that a bullet dodged.”
Cousins is a 4-time Pro Bowler who owns an 88-77-2 record as an NFL starter. He will turn 38 years old before the 2026 regular season.
While he’s on the older side and only a short-term solution, he’s five years younger than Rodgers.
Cousins entered 2025 as the Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback to Michael Penix Jr. Cousins started eight games, though, because of Penix injuries.
The veteran signal-caller led the Falcons to a 5-3 record with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions while averaging 6.4 yards per pass.
With the Raiders, Cousins could be a quarterback place-holder while Fernando Mendoza develops. Draft analysts expect the Raiders to select Mendoza at No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cousins Makes Free Agency Decision Before Aaron Rodgers
GettyKirk Cousins is off the free agent market as the Pittsburgh Steelers still only have two quarterbacks on their roster.
Cousins landing with the Raiders does increase the likelihood the Steelers start Howard at some point this upcoming season. That’s a good thing for anyone who wants to see the hyped former sixth-round pick.
The Steelers have only added to the Howard hype this offseason. Maybe the second-year quarterback competing with Rudolph is Pittsburgh’s backup plan if Rodgers doesn’t come back.
But it’s not clear that’s exactly the plan.
Therefore, most are likely to say Cousins going off the market before Rodgers is not a good thing for Pittsburgh.
This is the problem analysts predicted with the Steelers waiting on Rodgers. While the team waits, every other veteran quarterback is signing elsewhere.
That’s not a problem if Rodgers returns. But it could be a major issue if he doesn’t.
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