One thing you can expect at least once for every training camp around the NFL: Fights. The last people you expect to hear involved in those fights, however, are the quarterbacks.
Denver Broncos fans will have a good laugh at the story that's been developing in recent days out of Raiders training camp, where former Baltimore Ravens star Maxx Crosby and starting quarterback Kirk Cousins got into a scuffle. And you won't believe who started it...
According to reports, Cousins was the one who took issue with Crosby's physicality throughout the course of practice. Crosby apparently hit Cousins on the arm/hand multiple times during one practice session, including one play that resulted in an interception by safety Jeremy Chinn. Cousins allegedly grabbed Crosby by the collar, the two got into a shouting match, and had to be separated.
The Raiders' implosion is already well underway.
Broncos fans will get a kick out of Raiders star Maxx Crosby getting into it with Kirk Cousins
Raiders HC Klint Kubiak told reporters that Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby are being held out of practice today for violating team rules for fighting Friday. https://t.co/0p1VE5w4yo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 8, 2026
The story continues to get better, as if a fight between the star pass rusher and quarterback wasn't already juicy enough.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak had to put both players in time-out during the next practice, effectively suspending them for a session because they violated team rules.
It's absolutely hilarious that Cousins would get so fired up at Crosby -- who is noted for doing whatever he possibly can to get under opponents' skin -- that he would actually grab him by the collar of his jersey and start something. It's also hilarious that Crosby would push the limits of legal practice contact with the quarterback to the point that it set off the quarterback that badly.
This development was an unexpected deviation from the plan, which actually gave the Raiders a chance to get a look at Fernando Mendoza with the #1 offense during camp for the first time. And with the way Crosby has been dominating throughout the course of Raiders training camp, it's probably a good thing that Mendoza hasn't been the one out there getting terrorized.
As good as Crosby is, you can't help but wonder if his presence on the team is not necessarily a good thing for someone like Mendoza due to Crosby's practice habits.
Will the Raiders still trade Maxx Crosby before the start of the 2026 season?
This whole situation is another opportunity to talk about the Raiders potentially trading Crosby (again) this year. Most reports indicate that it's not going to happen before the start of the 2026 season, but that Crosby's name will be one to watch around the NFL trade deadline.
And my working theory is that the departure of Crosby could come at the same time as the insertion of Mendoza into the starting lineup. And the timing of that would mean that Mendoza could make his NFL starting debut against the Denver Broncos in Week 11 with the trade deadline during Denver's bye week in Week 10.
At this point in time, I am expecting Crosby will be traded, and this is just the latest evidence of why the Raiders should do it. They are instilling a new culture on the team, and the player head coach Klint Kubiak brought in to help him create and carry that culture is Cousins. And it took Cousins almost no time at all to identify the bad apple on the roster.
Crosby is an elite player, but he's not good for what the Raiders are building right now. His practice habits are admirable in the fact that he is giving 100 percent, but he's putting himself before the team by making sure he hits the quarterback in the hand/arm area a couple of times.
If he was out there hitting Mendoza's arm, would the Raiders just be okay with that?
This is simply the latest sign of the Raiders' inevitable implosion.
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