Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins were both held out of Raiders practice on Saturday after a Friday afternoon altercation that escalated during a team period. The move immediately changed the way the offense worked, with Fernando Mendoza taking first-team reps instead.
Coach Klint Kubiak said the decision was tied to a violation of team rules, a punishment that landed less than 24 hours after the two veterans had to be separated. Crosby hit Cousins twice during the session, then Cousins got in his face and grabbed his jersey before teammates broke it up.
That made Saturday in Las Vegas feel less like a routine practice and more like a response to a line being crossed. The Raiders did not say how long either player would stay out, but the timing mattered because the team had to rework its quarterback work right away, and Mendoza was the one who took the snaps with the first group.
The episode also fit an old pattern for Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowler whose edge has repeatedly spilled over in practice. He was a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in 2019, and the stories that followed him to the league have long centered on how hard he plays. During his time at Eastern Michigan, he was reportedly kicked out of practice multiple times by Chris Creighton for being too aggressive. Later, Jon Gruden once threatened to cut him during his rookie season for batting balls down in practice, and Crosby said in 2024 that Gruden told him to stop swatting the ball or he would be cut on the spot.
For now, the only clear next step is whether the Raiders keep Crosby and Cousins out beyond Saturday. What is already clear is that one practice fight turned into a discipline issue, and that forced the offense to move on without two of its most recognizable players.
