Maxx Crosby Reveals Why His Kirk Cousins Fight Never Hurt Their Friendship

Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins squared off in August.© Image via: X/@NFL_DovKleiman

Maxx Crosby didn't expect to be gushing about Kirk Cousins in November. Not after August 7, when Cousins grabbed his jersey and yelled in his face. Yet here he is. The Las Vegas Raiders traded their veteran quarterback to the Minnesota Vikings on November 10 for a 2027 third-round pick, and Crosby has plenty to say about it. "I'll love Kirk Cousins till the day I'm off this planet," he told ESPN's Ryan McFadden. That's a big swing from a practice-field shouting match. The story behind it is messier, and funnier, than outsiders guessed.

Maxx Crosby Explains The August Fight With Kirk Cousins

Rewind to August 7. Crosby hit Cousins' throwing arm twice during a team drill. After the second shot, Cousins got in his face, grabbed his jersey and traded words until teammates stepped in. Crosby went to the sideline. Cousins finished the drive. Crosby had said before camp that coaches warned him about touching the quarterback, a problem that has dogged him for years.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak didn't lose sleep over it. "Those are two leaders of our team going at it, so that is part of camp. 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." Both players still sat out team periods the next day, which handed rookie Fernando Mendoza his first run with the first-team offense.

HILARIOUS: #Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby said his FAVORITE Kirk Cousins memory was when the two got into a heated altercation at training camp. “We were literally in the locker room laughing about it afterward. The whole world is making it like we hate each other.” “Nobody threw a punch. He got pissed because I hit him, and he was screaming at me, and I'm like, ‘What the f*ck?'” “We both laughed it off, and it really wasn't nothing.” “He kept everything fun, but he was all business. He was like the ultimate professional, and I'll love Kirk Cousins till the day I'm off this planet.”

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 13, 2026

Crosby says the public version got it wrong. "We both laughed it off, and it really wasn't nothing. Nobody threw a punch." He remembers Cousins as a pro first. "He kept everything fun, but he was all business. He was like the ultimate professional."

Kirk Cousins Returns To The Minnesota Vikings As Fernando Mendoza Takes Over The Raiders Offense

Cousins is 38, and he's headed back to Minnesota, where he played from 2018 to 2023. Coach Kevin O'Connell is waiting for him. The Vikings need a steady arm. Kyler Murray has a hamstring injury, Carson Wentz isn't getting it done, and J.J. McCarthy now plays for the New York Giants. Minnesota scores 18.4 points per game. If Cousins is ready, he could face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Don't mistake his time in Las Vegas for a cameo. In nine games, he threw for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ranks fifth in passing yards and second in touchdown passes. The Raiders still went 4-5 and stumbled against bigger opponents. General manager John Spytek didn't dress it up. "This was a hard decision, but we felt like we made the best decision for the Raiders going forward."

Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, starts Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks with just eight pass attempts on his resume. Crosby stays in Las Vegas, and teams hunting for a deal on him got a blunt answer from Spytek: "We say no a lot more than we say yes."