Has anything notable happened this week in the world of the Las Vegas Raiders?
You know, other than dropping a game to their bitter rival San Francisco 49ers and thentrading their starting quarterback to the Minnesota Vikings two days later, which sets up No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to be under center in Week 10, making his anticipated debut as a starter?
No?
Well, we managed to find some news nuggets for you anyway, some of which are actually related to the aforementioned major storylines, but also some that are unrelated. And while Raider Nation may not have much of an appetite for more tidings at this point, there is plenty to discuss anyway.
Post-deadline chatter
In the wake of the Raiders' Kirk Cousins trade, plenty of people weighed in with their opinions, from Mark Davis to Tim Brown to rival coaches. And the veteran quarterback had a parting message for the place he called home for the last six months or so, and the fans who supported him along the way.
Kirk Cousins' message to Fernando Mendoza and Raider Nation
Immediately after the trade, Cousins made a post on his Instagam story that simply read, "Thank you Raider Nation! Go get em @FernandoMendoza." But Cousins also sat down with Great Clips before he left town, which couldn't be more on-brand, and spoke to the fanbase again.
"To the fans in Vegas, I just feel so grateful for how they welcomed me with open arms for the several months I was here, that includes teammates and the organization. I really couldn't speak more highly of my time here in Vegas."
Tim Brown talks about Raiders' Cousins trade & Mendoza starting
Brown made the following post on social media:
"Ugh! I was in Vegas last night and there was a lot of murmuring about @KirkCousins8. I was afraid what I was hearing made a lot of [sense]. And now, I know it was real. Just wanted to say THANKS to Kirk! You gave the Nation something to cheer for. I'm sure you have been whispering in @FernandoMendoza ears and he's as ready as he can be! I'm looking forward to it! Good luck Kirk! Let's Go 15!! RAAAAIIIDDERS!!"
Mark Davis talks about the Cousins trade
JT The Brick highlighted Davis' thoughts on the changing tides in Las Vegas in a social media post:
"[Davis] was so impressed with Kirk Cousins and what he brought to the team. A true leader who did everything right inside and outside the building. It’s now Fernando’s time. Everyone is excited for him and what lies ahead. A huge opportunity for the future of this franchise."
Packers HC Matt LaFleur was not quite as happy about Vikings getting Cousins
LaFleur, whose Green Bay team faces the Cousins-led Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, had some sour grapes about the deal.
"I was surprised [the Raiders] didn't get more for him, quite honestly. I was shocked when I saw what they traded him for. It was mind-blowing to me."
That's why you are a head coach and not a general manager, Matt!
Post-deadline moves
By trading Cousins, the Raiders had a spot on the 53-man roster open. After seeing his role grow over the past few weeks, Tim Keenan III was the obvious candidate to be promoted. And Las Vegas officially announced that move on Tuesday evening. Keenan III also switched from No. 91 to No. 96.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Raiders worked out two defensive tackles on Tuesday: Chris Williams and Khalen Saunders. Las Vegas signed the former to take Keenan III's place on the practice squad. He went undrafted in 2020 but has played 46 games with five different teams.
Williams had two decent seasons with the Chicago Bears in 2024 and 2025, in which he amassed 4.0 sacks and four tackles for loss, in addition to 37 tackles and nine quarterback hits. He played in two games for the Cleveland Browns this year, logging one tackle and one QB hit, before being released.
Quicker hitters
Trent Williams praises Raiders' Week 9 crowd
Everyone knew that Raider Nation would be well-represented in enemy territory at Levi's Stadium this past Sunday, and star 49ers left tackle Trent Williams conceded to KNBR that he's never heard cheers for an opposing team like the ones he did in Week 9. Props to us.
Pair of former Raiders CBs land on practice squads
Just a week after being released from the 49ers, Jack Jones landed back on the practice squad in San Francisco as a veteran. And Kyu Blu Kelly, who has been out of football since tearing his patellar tendon last season, found a home on the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad this week as well.
Tom Brady's latest shenanigans
On Monday, The Athletic learned that Brady had left his role with Birmingham City, an English football club of which he became a minority owner and chairman of a new advisory board. Brady made a statement about his departure as well, so it seems as though he is all Raiders and Aces now.
Brady also went on Rob Gronkowski's show and told Gronk and Julian Edelman that he believed that the Raiders would win a Super Bowl before 2030. Obviously, he sort of has to say that. But a lot of people took exception to it... Maybe Brady just knows he has the right people in place!
Raiders emphatically shut down Maxx Crosby trade offers
According to Jordan Schultz, Las Vegas was bombarded with calls about Maxx Crosby in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, but they were met with emphatic nos. The Raiders believe that Crosby is a huge part of the future that they are ushering in by starting Mendoza.
More intel on Kirk Cousins trade
Obviously, everyone knows the surface-level information about the Cousins trade: He was sent to Minnesota for a third-round pick. But various reporters have attempted to fill in the gaps on how exactly things went down, and it is a complicated equation. We begin with Jordan Schultz.
Jordan Schultz
Schultz reported that the Vikings initiated contact with the Raiders quickly after a meltdown on Monday Night Football. Minnesota's ownership and head coach both wanted Cousins badly, even though they also kicked the tires on a handful of other veterans as well.
He also stated that Las Vegas initially asked for a second-round pick, but that it was bartered down to the lesser of the Vikings' two third-rounders.
Tom Pelissero
The Ringer's lead analyst also had some interesting intel, which was that Cousins actually got to decide whether or not he wanted to go to Minnesota. The Raiders pretty much painted him into a corner, and they set up a good trade partner for him, but that was pretty revealing info.
Cousins all but confirmed that during his introductory press conference with the Vikings media. A lot of people may be upset that Spytek didn't just "do what was best for the Raiders." But what about what is best for the players, who make up the Raiders? It's good to have good people in charge.
Albert Breer
Sports Illustrated's main insider noted in his column that Cousins had an inkling that he was getting traded, and even called his longtime agent to ask if he had heard anything. I will let you decide what that says about how Mendoza was coming along and how Cousins knew things were going in Vegas.
Breer also reinforced that the Raiders did not necessarily want to trade Cousins, but that Mendoza's rapidly becoming ready was tough to ignore. They were in a weird spot, and Breer even said that the sentiment was that Mendoza could arguably do just as good a job as Cousins at this point.
Unlike what others reported, Breer paints a picture of Spytek being the one to play hardball. He said that Minnesota initially offered a conditional fifth that could turn into a third, but Spytek stood firm on wanting a third-rounder. And that is what Las Vegas got.
Which, as Breer noted, "wound up being the second-highest for a quarterback in-season over the past decade—with only the Patriots having gotten more for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017." And some folks are upset about this, for some reason.
Now, Breer did reiterate that Spytek left it up to Cousins, going so far as to say to Cousins that "If you don’t want this, we won’t do it." But the veteran quarterback saw the writing on the wall, and he is happily a Viking, just as Raiders fans are thrilled to have Mendoza under center.
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