Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders undoubtedly have their best quarterback room in recent memory. But the group's dynamic is also quite interesting and perhaps atypical, which isn't necessarily bad for a team that has recently done the same thing time and again, but to no avail.
In addition to having Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Raiders have a legitimate veteran in Kirk Cousins. And then there's Aidan O'Connell, the unlikely third quarterback who head coach Klint Kubiak wouldn't count out of the running for the starting job this early, either.
On the surface, it seems that Cousins and O'Connell are grooming Mendoza to be the franchise player, which the former has admitted he's on board with. As the offseason has unraveled, though, Cousins seems to think that the term "mentor" isn't really applicable anymore. Which is a great thing.
Kirk Cousins isn't "mentoring" Las Vegas Raiders' QBs because it's a group effort
When asked after Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice about his ongoing mentorship of Mendoza and O'Connell and what his favorite part has been, Cousins began with some praise for the pair of young signal-callers.
"Well, they're great people. They're fun to work with," Cousins said. "We have fun in the meetings. I have good dialogue. They're great football minds, great studiers, so they can push me."
But then he rebuked that "mentorship" label in what was a particularly interesting and surprising comment.
"I think to say I'm mentoring them is a bit of a reach," Cousins said. "Probably more of a narrative than it is the truth, in the sense that they're pretty good players and pretty experienced. And I'm learning a lot from them, too, and asking questions of them. So, it's always been a working force together in the quarterback room. And that's what it is. Nobody's leading more than someone else. I think we're all just kind of a working force together, helping each other, giving feedback, giving perspective, giving another set of eyes. And I've always felt I prepare my best during the season when we can all be together in that room in the evening going over things together rather than working in our own silos. I think when we can kind of all be giving feedback on each other, that's when I think the best ideas come out."
That is, by all means, a great thing. Obviously, the team and fanbase want Cousins to pass some of his wisdom on to the team's next generation of quarterbacks, and according to the coaching staff, Mendoza and O'Connell, the veteran is more than holding up his end of the bargain on that.
Cousins not viewing it as a mentorship, though, or having that label weighing him down and clouding his approach, means that things just run smoother. He doesn't have to look over his shoulder and worry about Mendoza being his disciple, and therefore his play reflects how he was as a teacher.
Instead, the Raiders' quarterback room can, as Cousins said, move together as one. At the end of the day, they are all talented professionals and could stand to learn from each other. Cousins' openness to that and humility are conducive to a great environment, and it sets a great example as well.
It is funny, though, to hear Mendoza talk about how great the veteran mentorship is, as well as the difference between Cousins' and O'Connell's responses when asked the same question.
"It's been super fun," O'Connell said of mentoring Mendoza. "Definitely feel like I'm in a position to help Fern. I've seen a lot of things in the first few years I've been here, and so I'm just doing my best to answer whatever questions he's got. He's obviously trying to do his best. He's got a lot of questions, so we're trying to help out any way we can."
Surely, Cousins feels the same way. But being the stoic and smart veteran that he is, he found a better way to answer the question, or perhaps learned an even more productive way of looking at these teacher-pupil relationships.
So, no, Cousins isn't "mentoring" the Raiders' young QBs. But that's fine. His approach will actually pay off more in the long run, as the 15-year veteran has everyone in the room rowing in the same direction and taking after him. And there's no shortage of nuggets to mine from him along the way.
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