1 Message for Fernando Mendoza, Raiders' Additional Incoming Rookies

The Las Vegas Raiders have been very specific with the moves they have made this offseason. As the NFL Draft and offseason programs approach, Las Vegas' front office is taking a big bet on the culmination of their offseason additions to help make an immediate impact.

Raiders' Lessons

The Raiders are not ignorant of the fact that no matter how well they plan, things do not always go as planned. This is especially true in the National Football League, and even more so for the Raiders compared to other teams. Las Vegas' front office has made moves with a realistic outlook.

Las Vegas' haul in the upcoming draft is a vital part of their plan to rebuild. One of the Raiders' quiet, but understandable moves was signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. The former fourth-round draft pick turned franchise quarterback knows a thing or two about the 10 incoming picks he will face.

“I think when I look back, Mike Shanahan had a line early in my career where he would say, ‘Tough times don't last. Tough people do.’ And at the time, I had had some challenges in football in the past too, but I don't think I fully knew what that meant,” Cousins said at his introductory press conference.

“That would be my message to any young player is, ‘Hey, you're going to get punched in the mouth in this league. It’s what makes it such a great league. Nobody's immune. It's tough, but if you're a tough person mentally, emotionally, physically, you'll find yourself still standing maybe a decade plus later.’ And so that would kind of be my message.”

Cousins, in many ways, is a connector for the Raiders. He played underneath Klint Kubiak with the Minnesota Vikings for multiple seasons. New Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko was also on that offensive staff. Kubiak, Janocko, and Cousins should get off to a strong start in Las Vegas.

Cousins played under Shanahan, whose son, Kyle, was also on the Redskins' coaching staff. Kubiak went on to work under him after he became the San Francisco 49ers' head coach. Kubiak recently noted that his time with the 49ers was one of the most critical jobs on his resume.

Turning Point for Kubiak

"2023 is probably one of the most important years of my coaching career. Being in a similar offense, which I thought I knew a lot about the offense he was going to run, then I get there and I just see how advanced that it was with him,” Kubiak said.

“The way that he can game plans as a head coach and still run the team, and the way that he delegates to his staff how aggressive he is on game day, how prepared he is. Just what a phenomenal teacher to get to learn from and a guy that was really hard on me in all the best ways and made me better as a coach, and I'm really grateful for that."