Kirk Cousins says God ‘owns’ his career as Raiders race to 3-0 start 

The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a surprising 3-0 start, led by a quarterback who says his career belongs to God and that he is simply a steward of it.

Kirk Cousins signed with the Raiders during the offseason as a free agent following a two-year stint in Atlanta and previous stops in Washington and Minnesota. It is the 15th season for the 38-year-old, yet Cousins had to prove himself as the No. 1 quarterback during the preseason after the Raiders drafted Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza, another player who has been open about his faith.

Cousins entered the preseason atop the depth chart and solidified his hold on the starting job with a strong training camp and preseason.

He has thrown for nine touchdowns and is averaging 220 passing yards per game as Las Vegas opened the season with a home win over Miami before following it with road wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints.

“It’s helped to recognize who owns my football career,” he told the Sports Spectrum Podcast before the season started. “I’ve come to a realization that I’m a steward and it’s my job to steward this football career and this football journey, which means that I need to give great effort. I need to prepare well. I need to lead well. I need to build relationships.”

By acknowledging that God owns his career, Cousins said he is freed from worrying about an uncertain future in the NFL.

“There’s plenty for me to do as a steward, but it also frees you up to not stress about things like: Will a team want to sign me? Will the situation be right? Will this be the end of my career? Those thoughts – that’s for the owner to handle, and the owner is God. God owns all of our stories, our journeys. We certainly have a major role to play, but God has a bigger role, and I think the first thing to do in being a steward is to surrender, and to say, ‘This is not mine. This is now Yours. I’m signing it over. I’m giving it to you.’”

Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowl selection who has established himself as one of the NFL’s most productive passers, but he wasn’t certain during the offseason whether anyone would be interested in signing him. At 38, he’s at an age when many quarterbacks are nearing the end of their careers.

“I was kind of preparing myself for that – in case it was time to retire. So [I was] just keeping an open mind and praying about it.”

Fortunately for Cousins, a handful of teams were interested. He and his family chose Las Vegas – a city known as “Sin City” that may seem like an unlikely destination for an outspoken Christian but is a place he has embraced.

“There’s a whole nother world outside of the Strip that’s a great city – and very much like any other city,” Cousins said, referencing the area with the casinos and attractions.

Las Vegas has “great churches” and “great people,” he added.

“Wherever you end up playing, you are sent by God and He has a purpose for you in being there. And so we believed that when we were in Washington, D.C., Minnesota and Atlanta – but it’s all the more true now in Las Vegas. We’re sent and we’re here to shine a light and to represent our King.

“We just want to be servants of the King here in Las Vegas.”

The Raiders host the 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern in a battle for first place in the AFC West.

(Image credit: Screenshot/CBS)