FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins throws against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

HENDERSON, Nev. — Kirk Cousins agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, his agent Mike McCartney announced Thursday morning, giving them a veteran quarterback to help ease the expected selection of Fernando Mendoza with the top draft pick.

Cousins’ most recent team, Atlanta, will pay $8.7 million this season and Las Vegas will handle the remaining $1.3 million. Another $10 million in guaranteed money will come next March. The Raiders also have a two-year, $80 million option.

Cousins later posted “The Autumn Wind…” in a nod to the Raiders’ theme that is played before every home game and was made famous by NFL Films.

Cousins, 37, has played 14 seasons in the league, including the past two in Atlanta. The Falcons signed him to a four-year, $180 million deal only to draft Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick just six weeks later.

Cousins went 12-10 in starting 22 of 34 games. His 16 interceptions in 2024 led the league despite playing in just 14 games. The Falcons released him heading into free agency.

He is 88-77-2 as a starter with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta. His greatest success came in 2022 when Cousins quarterbacked the Vikings to a 13-4 record.

Puka seeks help

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua is in rehab and was there before he was sued for assault and battery by a woman who says he made an antisemitic statement and bit her on the shoulder on New Year’s Eve, according to his attorney.

McCathern told the newspaper Nacua’s decision to enter rehab was not a direct response to the lawsuit his accuser filed against him late last month, but an attempt “to improve his overall behavior in every aspect of his life.”

Nacua issued an apology last December after performing a gesture that plays upon antisemitic tropes while appearing on an internet livestream.

Nacua has been one of the most productive receivers in NFL history over his first three seasons with the Rams, who drafted him in the fifth round out of BYU in 2023. He led the league with 129 catches last season and had 1,715 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.

Elsewhere:

n The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kaiir Elam to provide some help at defensive back. The 24-year-old was the 23rd overall pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 draft but has largely failed to live up to expectations. He split last season between the Cowboys and Titans and has 114 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 19 starts and 43 games covering his first four seasons in the league.