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Tom Brady is not only a seven-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but he is also an excellent recruiter.
New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins thanked Brady, a minority owner of the Raiders, for giving him a big boost during his free agency decision.
“I texted (Brady), I asked him to call me when he could, and he actually FaceTimed me – I was at youth baseball practice. So, I walked away and I just FaceTimed with Tom for a minute just to get on the same page and understand his vision for the organization and what he saw further and whether I would be a good fit for it or not,” Cousins said then from a recent appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady salute after a game at Raymond James Stadium. The match took place in Tampa, Florida on December 13, 2020. (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)
“And I hung up and I called my wife and I said, ‘That was a really exhilarating call with Tom.’ You know, he understands. He’s been where I’ve been and more, and I think he understands what it’s supposed to look like, what it’s going to look like, and I really felt like a shot in the arm, um, you know, after talking to him. And I felt like it was a big boost for me to come to Vegas.”
Cousins said Brady has been “great” throughout the process and that his conversation with the New England Patriots legend was one of many he had while doing his homework on the Raiders. The 37-year-old said Brady was in the building for the first day of OTAs and wanted to be a resource.
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Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady reacts before an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Rams at M&T Bank Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“He just wants to be a resource. I don’t know if he’ll be there all the time, but he’s always available on the phone and text. And I think having a guy who’s won seven Super Bowls, a phone call or a text message away and embedded in your organization, that’s got to be a positive,” Cousins said.
While the Raiders are widely expected to select Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall in the NFL Draft, there is no guarantee he will start in Week 1. Brady and general manager John Spytek have repeatedly stated that they believe in not playing a young quarterback right away, making it unclear whether Mendoza would start in Week 1.
Cousins also knows new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. During Cousins’ time with the Minnesota Vikings, Kubiak served as his quarterbacks coach for two seasons and his offensive coordinator for another.
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Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona on December 21, 2025. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
The Raiders’ plan might be to sit Mendoza under Cousins until they think he’s ready to start and become the face of their franchise.
In 10 games and eight starts last season with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. The team was 5-3 in his starts, including winning the last four.
