Fernando Mendoza likely joining rare club for No. 1 overall picks
Fernando Mendoza is on track to begin his NFL career behind Kirk Cousins. Just how rare is it for a No. 1 overall pick to open the season as a backup?
Sports Seriously
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and star edge rusher Maxx Crosby got into a minor scuffle at the end of the team’s practice session on Friday, August 7, according to multiple reports.
The tiff stemmed from Crosby hitting Cousins on multiple occasions during the session. The veteran quarterback got into the face of his teammate after the second knock, grabbing Crosby’s jersey and exchanging words with him before the scrap was broken up.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak didn’t seem too worried about the tussle during his post-practice media availability.
“That’s training camp,” Kubiak told reporters. “Those are two leaders of our team going at it. That is part of camp.”
To Kubiak’s point, training camp fights are relatively commonplace in the NFL, even among star players. Just days before Cousins and Crosby scrapped, Tennessee Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was thrown out of practice for throwing a punch at offensive tackle JC Latham.
Even so, while Kubiak didn’t want to overblow the confrontation between Cousins and Crosby, he noted his desire to see all of his players take a “smart” approach to issues that come up during their training camp sessions.
“Obviously, you fight in a game – you throw a punch in a game, especially – then you’re out of the game,” Kubiak said. “So, we’ve gotta be smart. Treat it like a game.”
Cousins is preparing for his first game as a member of the Raiders after signing a free-agent deal with the team during the 2026 NFL offseason. The 37-year-old is currently expected to be the Week 1 starter over No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Standing up to Crsoby appeared to earn Cousins a badge of honor from at least one of his teammates, tight end Michael Mayer, as he prepares to take on the starting role.
“That’s our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team,” Mayer said when asked about the Cousins and Crosby’s scuffle. “You want him to have some edge to him, which he does. He’s always had [that] since the first day I met him when he came in here.”
“I don’t want him getting thrown out. I don’t want him getting a flag. Nothing like that,” Mayer added. “But you’ve gotta be able to defend yourself.”