- May 21, 2026
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Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza may not be the starter in Las Vegas right away, but the first overall pick in this year's draft will get there soon enough and he's getting some advice from veteran teammates about how to prepare for the leadership aspects of the role.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby had Mendoza on his The Rush podcast and he asked Mendoza about his relationship with Kirk Cousins. Cousins signed with the Raiders as a free agent and would be the other choice to start at quarterback in Week 1, but Mendoza said that he's been helpful when it comes to sharing advice he's picked up during his time with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
Mendoza said one of the biggest lessons from Cousins is that he always needs to be his genuine self in order for older teammates to believe in him as a leader. Crosby called that advice "spot on."
“If you’re not genuine, guys pick up on that real quick," Crosby said. "College is different. You’re growing as a man, you’re trying to figure out who you are and evolve as a leader, and you’re still going to school. You’re just trying to figure out life and how to operate. But once you get to the league, everyone’s grown men. Dudes have full families. They have different types of motivations, and everyone’s coming from a different walk of life. So being genuine, you’ll never go wrong. And trust me, I’m a little weird too. I do a lot of s—t. I’m not saying you’re weird, but I’m off the wall sometimes, and I’ll say some s—t.”
Crosby went on to say that players should never be "over the top trying to prove" that they can lead, because true leaders just do it. Mendoza's process will continue at training camp and the Raiders will hoping people buy into him on all fronts once he does take the reins.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby had Mendoza on his The Rush podcast and he asked Mendoza about his relationship with Kirk Cousins. Cousins signed with the Raiders as a free agent and would be the other choice to start at quarterback in Week 1, but Mendoza said that he's been helpful when it comes to sharing advice he's picked up during his time with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
Mendoza said one of the biggest lessons from Cousins is that he always needs to be his genuine self in order for older teammates to believe in him as a leader. Crosby called that advice "spot on."
“If you’re not genuine, guys pick up on that real quick," Crosby said. "College is different. You’re growing as a man, you’re trying to figure out who you are and evolve as a leader, and you’re still going to school. You’re just trying to figure out life and how to operate. But once you get to the league, everyone’s grown men. Dudes have full families. They have different types of motivations, and everyone’s coming from a different walk of life. So being genuine, you’ll never go wrong. And trust me, I’m a little weird too. I do a lot of s—t. I’m not saying you’re weird, but I’m off the wall sometimes, and I’ll say some s—t.”
Crosby went on to say that players should never be "over the top trying to prove" that they can lead, because true leaders just do it. Mendoza's process will continue at training camp and the Raiders will hoping people buy into him on all fronts once he does take the reins.