Tre Tucker received a huge vote of confidence from the Las Vegas Raiders' new leadership tandem this offseason when they neglected to make any big-ticket additions to the wide receiver room. Tucker figures to be the head of the snake out wide in what most expect to be an improved offense.
One of the biggest reasons that many believe the Raiders' offense could be unrecognizable from a year ago is the combination of Klint Kubiak calling plays and either Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins under center. Kubiak and either QB are major upgrades from Las Vegas' 2025 personnel.
Which signal-caller the Silver and Black will choose, however, is the question of the offseason. Tucker won't necessarily have a direct say in the matter, and that's fine. He has been impressed with Mendoza in the early going, but he has an affinity for Cousins as well.
Las Vegas Raiders WR Tre Tucker is a huge fan of Fernando Mendoza's approach
Tucker spoke with Raiders.com reporter Paul Gutierrez on the latest episode of Upon Further Review, and of course, he was asked about Mendoza. While Tucker praised the rookie and believes that he'll have a bright future, he pointed out one thing in particular that Mendoza does that impresses him.
"He's awesome. He's a tremendous rookie. I'm very excited for him. He's going to have a very bright future," Tucker began. "The one thing that really impresses me, being the number one overall pick, is just his work ethic, his detail, attention to detail. I'm a football junkie, so I watch a lot of things on film. Sometimes, I watch guys who aren't even in, just to see what they're doing. And he's always behind taking mental reps, and that just shows that he's going to be a great player one day, and his future's very bright."
Not only is this a fascinating insight as to how Tucker so meticulously approaches the game and a sign that he is growing as a leader, but it is good to know that Mendoza is unknowingly passing a crucial test and earning the trust of the Raiders' top wide receiver.
Now, don't mistake this as an endorsement for Mendoza to be trotted out in Week 1 as the starter. Yes, Tucker seems to like what Mendoza brings to the table, but he also spoke about how much he is enjoying working with Cousins thus far.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm a huge fan of Kirk Cousins," Tucker admitted. "I actually watched the Netflix show when they had all the quarterbacks, and I've kind of gotten to know him a little bit. But seeing him in person, he's probably top three funniest on the team. (Because of) his demeanor, he's top three funniest. Like, every day Kirk does something, I'm just like, 'Oh my gosh.' Like, you know what I mean? But he's top three funniest, great personality, great human being. Definitely excited we got him."
One can attempt to read into things and decipher that Tucker's Mendoza praise was about football and Cousins' was about character. To me, this just sounds like a still-young wide receiver excited to finally have not just one, but two competent players who are capable of getting him the ball.
Still, it should make Raider Nation thrilled to know that Mendoza is impressing Tucker in the early going, even down to the little things like where he stands during plays off at practice. Little things become big things, and Las Vegas needs several big things to occur to turn this ship around.
Add us as a preferred source on Google