Raiders Land Cousins, Packers Wait for Draft

0:00On April 2nd, the Las Vegas Raiders just locked in Kurt Cousins as their bridge quarterback with a clever contract twist. On paper, it's a 5-year, $172 million deal, but really it's a one year, $20 million packed, where the Raiders pay. $11.3 million, and the Atlanta Falcons cover the rest at $8.7 million. This sets up Cousins to steady the ship until their 2026 rookie takes over full time. Earlier this week, reports from Diana Racini at the Athletic revealed heavy interest from other squads like the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers. Rams coach Sean McVey and Packers coach Matt LaFlore both go way back with Cousins from his early Washington days, so they were eyeing him as a reliable backup. Packers GM Brian Guteclinst is playing its smartness off season. Hyber focused on protecting their 2027 compensatory draft picks. He even highlighted how signing Javon Hargrave worked out because the guy was released,

1:01not a free agent loss, avoiding any offset. Cousins released from Atlanta means he wouldn't ding their picks either. Meanwhile, teams like Green Bay might hold off on backup hunts until the Monday after the draft, when Com Pick rules ease up on signing outside free. Agents. Still floating out there are vets like Russell Wilson, Tyrod Taylor, Jimmy Gorabolo, and Teddy Bridgewater. Watch if they ink deals pre-draft or slide, and later. This quarterback shuffle shows how GMs are gaming the system for max value, blending short-term fixes with long-game draft protection, keeps the armoring, leagues chess match alive heading into the draft. NFL News today, powered by AI bringing you what matters on Game Day.