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Klint Kubiak isn’t messing around in his first year as Raiders head coach. He’s building a culture, and he’s made it clear nobody gets a pass – not even his biggest names.
“We have very clear expectations on how we want to practice and how we want to go about our business, and we violated that yesterday,” Kubiak told reporters Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.
The comment came after Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby got tangled up during Friday’s training camp practice. Both players – the Raiders’ starting quarterback and their best pass rusher – sat out Saturday’s session as a result.
#Raiders HC Klint Kubiak said Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby violated team rules by fighting yesterday so they were held out of practice today.
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) August 8, 2026
Kubiak said both players will participate on Monday.
“We have very clear expectations on how we want to practice and how we want to go…
They’re expected back on the field Monday, per McFadden’s report.
So what actually happened? During a heated team period on Friday, Crosby hit Cousins’ throwing arm – twice. That’s according to both ESPN and the New York Post. Cousins didn’t let it slide. He got right up in Crosby’s face, grabbed his jersey, and the two veterans had to be separated before things escalated further.
No punches landed, per the Post’s reporting.
Still, it was enough to get Kubiak’s attention. He understands tempers flare during camp – that’s just part of football. But he wants his guys keeping that same discipline once the games actually start counting.
“Those are two leaders on our team going at it,” Kubiak said Friday, per ESPN. “Obviously, fighting in a game (or) you throw a punch in a game, you are out of the game. So we got to be smart.”
Cousins sets his own example, too
Kubiak made an example out of both players by sitting them Saturday. But there’s another way to look at this whole situation – Cousins showed some fight of his own. The guy’s about to turn 38 later this month and he’s entering his 15th NFL season. Yet he stood toe-to-toe with arguably the most physically imposing player on the roster.
“That’s our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team,” Raiders tight end Michael Mayer said Friday, according to the Post. “You want him to have some edge to him, which he does.”
That’s a lesson rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza probably took note of. He was this year’s No. 1 overall pick, after all. And it’s the kind of fire Crosby will probably respect once he looks back on it.
As for any discipline coming his way, Crosby’s already spoken about how much he respects Kubiak’s approach – treating every player the exact same way, regardless of status.
Klint Kubiak took his coaching staff out to celebrate the Maxx Crosby trade getting reversed 😂 pic.twitter.com/roRvAGEY86— Ball In The Family Podcast (@ballinthefampod) August 6, 2026
“If you just talk to him, he’s monotone, he’s super calm, everything’s super chill, but he’s all about ball,” Crosby said on the “Ball In The Family Podcast.”
“He keeps it black and white. He don’t give a f*** who he’s calling out. If we’re in a meeting, he’ll call me out just like he’ll call the practice squad guy out. And that’s something I appreciate.”
Crosby added: “Being coached hard, especially from a young age, you want that, and you know it sucks in the moment, but ultimately that’s gonna get the best version of yourself. So he’s been clear about that since Day 1.”
Mendoza gets his shot with the first-team offense
With Cousins sidelined, Mendoza stepped in to run the first-string offense Saturday. That’s a first for the 22-year-old, who’s coming off a Heisman Trophy season and national championship at Indiana
Cousins was officially named the Raiders’ starter last month, but everyone around the building expects Mendoza to take over eventually. Kubiak’s been talking him up since OTAs, saying the rookie is “as advertised” and praising how adaptable he’s been early on.
Mendoza’s Saturday didn’t start great. According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, he struggled out of the gate. But he settled in as practice went on, finding his rhythm and putting together a few touchdowns during red-zone and goal-line work.
He wasn’t done there, either. Per ESPN’s McFadden, Mendoza strung together five straight completions late in practice, driving the offense into position for a field goal during a two-minute drill.
