Kirk Cousins has long carried a reputation as one of the NFL’s more mild-mannered quarterbacks. That image took a hit Friday during Las Vegas Raiders practice.
The veteran, operating with the first-team offense, had enough after Maxx Crosby made contact with his throwing arm for a second time. Crosby tipped a pass from Cousins in the backfield during team drills. After the second instance of contact, Cousins charged the All-Pro defensive end, delivered a shove to the chest, grabbed Crosby’s jersey and exchanged heated words.
Crosby responded by getting in Cousins’ face. Teammates quickly stepped in to separate the two leaders before anything escalated further.
No punches were thrown, and practice continued. Cousins stayed on the field to finish the drive while Crosby was sent to the sideline.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak downplayed the incident.
“Those are two leaders of our team going at it, so that is part of camp,” Kubiak said, via NFL.com. “Obviously, if you fight in a game and throw a punch in-game, then you’re out of the game. So we’ve got to be smart and treat it like a game.”
Tight end Michael Mayer welcomed the edge from his quarterback.
“That’s our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team and you want him to have some edge to him, which he does. He’s always had since the first day I met him when he came in here,” Mayer said.
“I don’t want him getting thrown out. I don’t want him getting a flag. Nothing like that, but you’ve got to be able to defend yourself.”
The scuffle came amid Crosby’s known intensity in practice, something coaches have previously cautioned him about regarding contact with quarterbacks. For Cousins, it offered an early statement of accountability in his new surroundings.
