Maxx Crosby, Kirk Cousins Put On Timeout After Heated Exchange At Raiders Practice

LAS VEGAS — A day after getting into a heated exchange at Raiders practice, Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins were essentially put on timeout by coach Klint Kubiak on Saturday.

The biggest beneficiary of Kubiak’s ironclad discipline?

None other than Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in the NFL draft and the future face of the Raiders.

The Indiana Heisman Trophy winner and national champion did not waste the opportunity. Handed the keys to the first-team offense, Mendoza delivered his strongest practice of training camp, offering another tantalizing glimpse of what might be when the Raiders eventually turn the franchise over to him.

But more on that in a bit.

Because Saturday began with Kubiak delivering a message every bit as important as anything Mendoza did on the field.

The Raiders have spent far too many years undermining themselves with the kind of sloppiness, dysfunction and lack of accountability that inevitably shows up in the standings. Kubiak made it clear Saturday that those days are over.

Or, at the very least, that he intends for them to be.

And there are no exceptions.

Not even for Crosby and Cousins, two of the most accomplished and respected veterans in the building.

The star edge rusher and veteran quarterback were present and dressed for the Raiders’ morning workout, but they were parked on the sideline during team and 11-on-11 periods as punishment for their roles in Friday’s confrontation.

“We have very clear expectations in how we want to practice and how we want to go about our business, and we violated that yesterday,” Kubiak said. “So we held those guys out. That’s all I’m gonna say about it. We addressed it with the team, and we’re moving on.”

And with that, the Raiders turned the page.

Cousins’ absence created an unexpected opportunity for Mendoza, who received all of the first-team quarterback reps.

Mendoza took full advantage.

The rookie delivered a decisive and productive day, throwing multiple touchdown passes while looking poised and efficient running the offense. His best work came during a crisp two-minute drill in which he methodically moved the Raiders into scoring range, leaving enough time to set up a field-goal attempt.

The Raiders have made it clear they will not rush Mendoza onto the field, a message that has been uniformly delivered by Tom Brady, their minority owner and de facto director of football operations, general manager John Spytek and Kubiak.

But there is a significant difference between not rushing Mendoza and refusing to play him simply because of some predetermined philosophical preference.

The Raiders have never said Mendoza will not play this season. Quite the opposite, they remain open to him winning the starting job outright in training camp and lining up under center for the season opener against the Dolphins.

“I mean this honestly: I’m not really married to any position,” Kubiak said. “We’re a new staff here, we’re trying to establish something, and there’s got to be competition everywhere. We’ll just sit here and let the tape reveal itself.”

That leaves just about every possibility on the table.

Mendoza could win the job outright and start Week 1. Cousins could open the season as the starter before eventually giving way to Mendoza. And while there is technically a scenario in which Mendoza spends his entire rookie season watching and learning, it feels increasingly difficult to envision.

The obvious exception would be Cousins getting the nod, playing well, and the Raiders getting sprinkled with enough pixie dust to make an unexpected playoff run. If that happens, nobody at Raiders headquarters is going to interrupt a good thing simply because Mendoza represents the future.

They will happily ride Cousins as far as he can take them.

Otherwise, at some point, the future is going to become the present.

Thanks to the fisticuffs between Cousins and Crosby the day before, the Raiders got an extended look at what that future might look like on Saturday.

Mendoza offered a tantalizing preview of what might be while potentially strengthening his case to be the Day 1 starter. At the least, he provided compelling evidence that he is exactly where the Raiders hoped he would be, and perhaps even a little further ahead, less than two weeks into his first NFL training camp.

Aside from a fumbled snap exchange with backup center Jordan Meredith and another snap that sailed over his head from starting center Tyler Linderbaum, Mendoza and the first-team offense were essentially flawless the rest of the day.

Mendoza sprayed the ball all over the field with confidence and accuracy, maximized three red-zone periods with three touchdown throws and then calmly directed the practice-closing two-minute drill, moving the Raiders into position to spike the ball and kick a field goal.

For a rookie quarterback still supposed to be learning how to drive, Mendoza looked awfully comfortable with the keys in his hands.

A day that began with Kubiak delivering a team-wide message by disciplining two of his most respected veteran leaders ended with the Raiders’ quarterback of the future getting an extended opportunity to show exactly why they made him the first pick.

Kubiak reinforced the standard he intends to build. Mendoza offered another glimpse of where it might lead.

For a franchise trying to change its culture and its fortunes, that’s the kind of win-win the Raiders will take every day.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters