Cousins bucks mentor label: Raiders QBs 'a working force together'

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Kirk Cousins said it's "a bit of a reach" to consider him a mentor to rookie Fernando Mendoza and the rest of the Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks. Cousins views the dynamic as a collaborative effort in which the players have benefited from a variety of experiences within the room.

"[It's] more of a narrative than it is the truth," Cousins said after the first day of mandatory minicamp. "They're pretty good players, pretty experienced, and I'm learning a lot from them, too, and asking questions to them.



"Nobody's leading more than someone else. I think we're all a working force together, helping each other, giving feedback, giving perspective [and] giving another set of eyes."

After Cousins, 37, spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, he signed with the Raiders on April 2, just 21 days before the organization drafted Mendoza with the No. 1 pick. That led to the assumption that the four-time Pro Bowl selection would be a mentor, providing 14 years of NFL experience and knowledge of coach Klint Kubiak's offensive scheme from their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.

While that has been the case to a degree, Cousins said he has also learned from Aidan O'Connell, who has more familiarity with the franchise because he's in his fourth season as a Raider. Cousins added that O'Connell and Mendoza are "great football minds" who have pushed him, as well.

"I've always felt I prepare my best during the season when we can all kind of be together in that room in the evening, going over things together rather than working in our own," Cousins said. "I think when we can kind of all be given feedback on each other, that's when I think the best ideas come out."

Mendoza said it has been very influential to have a quarterback room where each player is in a different stage of their career. He has received loads of information from each quarterback and coach, which he has been able to translate onto the football field during practices.

"We've all come together and have combined our experiences, whether it's from an experienced mind, a naive mind, [or] Aidan's mind, who's a little bit of a mix," Mendoza said.

Raiders assistant head coach Mike McCoy, who has previously coached quarterbacks such as Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray and Philip Rivers, has enjoyed watching Mendoza, Cousins and O'Connell work together.



McCoy said Mendoza is fortunate to learn from Cousins and O'Connell because the Heisman Trophy winner can study how they differ in throwing styles and preparation. McCoy said he likes seeing unselfishness among the quarterbacks competing for the starting job.

The assistant coach said that the team has a "detailed plan" on how the quarterback battle will play out and that it will reveal itself during training camp.

"It says a lot about the character of the guys in the room," McCoy said.



"From the day we signed Kirk to the day we drafted Fernando [Mendoza], [O'Connell] hasn't changed at all, and it just says so much about those types of players."

Their connection has carried over outside of the training facility. All three quarterbacks and the offensive line watched as the Las Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

Mendoza and Cousins have gone to the movies together. Cousins joked about how the conversations regarding films from his youth are a harsh reminder of the generational gap between he and the younger players on the roster.

"We kind of get an understanding of culturally where our lives intersect and where they don't," Cousins said. "I brought up [the 1995 film] 'Heavyweights' today at practice. I said, 'You seen Heavyweights?' and most of the coaches had but my teammates had not. So, I understand where my generation is fitting there, but I did get some laughs out of the coaches, so that was good."