High-Profile NFL Teammates Get Into Altercation During Training Camp

The Las Vegas Raiders have disciplined two high-profile members of the roster after an altercation at training camp.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive lineman were both held out of practice on Saturday after their confrontation on Friday.

The incident occurred during the final team section of the practice session. As Cousins dropped back to pass, Crosby came rushing in off the edge. The big defender got his hand up as Cousins released the football, and he tipped it to force an incompletion.

Crosby appeared to hit Cousins’ hand, which apparently served as the tipping point after some earlier incidents involving other players on the offense. Cousins responded by getting Crosby’s face and grabbing his collar.

The two veterans continued to shout at each other as other players rushed in to separate them, and then they continued shouting while heading to different parts of the field.

Crosby then finished the session on the sidelines while Cousins led a scoring driver in a two-minute drill. One day later, both players missed practice as punishment for their altercation.

“We have very clear expectations on how we want to practice and how we want to go about our business, and we violated that yesterday, so (we) held those guys out,” head coach Klint Kubiak said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”

The two players have since returned to practice. They have avoided further incidents as the Raiders prepare for the first season under Kubiak’s leadership.

The expectation entering the season is that the veteran Cousins will be the starting quarterback as he plays for his fourth team in 14 seasons. He previously spent six years in Washington (2012-18), six in Minnesota (2019-23), and two in Atlanta (2024-25).

Yes, the Raiders selected National Championship-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but Cousins is still expected to get the nod as the veteran with a win-loss record of 88-77-2.

The Polymarket traders view the situation similarly. They have heavily favored Cousins as the top candidate to start for the Silver and Black in Week 1. They have given him an 89% chance to lead the offense against the Dolphins on Sept. 13.

Mendoza briefly had better odds to start in Week 1, but this only lasted for a couple of days in early June. He had a 48% chance at one point while Cousins had a 45% chance.

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