The Rams and some other NFL teams had a potential job for Kirk Cousins.
Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay went so far as to say, “Kirk, come see us man. I would love to have you.”
The Raiders, meanwhile, had “The Autumn Wind.”
Never underestimate the power of the brand Al Davis built.
Cousins was weighing his future, including interest from the Rams in having him serve as Matthew Stafford’s backup, when a little Raiders history helped settle the matter. The quarterback was intrigued by the possibility of wearing silver and black, but not entirely convinced.
Then he watched a video featuring the franchise’s famous poem and its unmistakable musical accompaniment.
Consider it a recruiting pitch decades in the making.
As Cousins explained after the Raiders stirring win over the Saints on Sunday, he spent part of the offseason weighing his options, intrigued by the Raiders but not entirely sold. They were coming off a three-win season, with just two winning seasons since 2002.
Then came John Facenda’s unmistakable voice, the stirring music of “The Autumn Wind” and a reminder that the Raiders’ story runs much deeper than their recent record.
Suddenly, Cousins could picture himself being part of it.
“When I saw that Autumn Wind video with the history and the music on, it kind of pushed me over the edge,” Cousins said.
Some teams sell a quarterback on the possibilities ahead. The Raiders apparently had an effective closing argument in everything that came before.
The history. The imagery. The sense that pulling on their jersey means joining a story that stretches well beyond the players currently wearing it.
For Cousins, that carried weight.
“It’s a privilege to play for an organization with the kind of history that we have,” he said.
That doesn’t mean a football decision came down entirely to a soundtrack. Cousins described the video as something that pushed him over the edge, the final nudge for a quarterback who already was excited about the opportunity.
But it offers a fun window into a decision that otherwise could be viewed strictly through the familiar lens of depth charts, playing time and career calculations.
The Rams’ pursuit presented one possibility: backing up Stafford. The Raiders presented another, along with an emotional pull that apparently was difficult to resist once the music started.
There is something fitting about that. Now more than ever with the Raiders off to a 3-0 start.
A franchise whose identity is so deeply tied to its past found that history could still help shape its future. In this case, by connecting with a veteran quarterback who appreciated the opportunity to become part of it.
“There aren’t many organizations in this league with that history and tradition and iconic names. To play for one is a privilege. It’s good to be a part of that history,” Cousins said.
And the connection has moved beyond a video.
Now it shows up in the people Cousins encounters, the fans embracing his family and even the conversations his son hears at school. What helped sell him on the Raiders from a distance has become something his family gets to experience firsthand.
“It was fun to see the Raider Nation. My son goes to school and he hears ‘Raaaaiiders.’ They love it and are all in. It’s been fun,” Cousins said.
The football reasons mattered, of course. They always do when a quarterback is choosing where to take the next step in his career.
But sometimes the finishing touch is a feeling: the chance to belong to something you have spent years recognizing from the outside.
As soon as the “The Autumn Wind” came on, Cousins could picture himself in the next scene.
