Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins dismissed the notion that he’s in Las Vegas to mentor No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, instead suggesting it’s more of a collective approach in the QB room.
“[It’s] more of a narrative than it is the truth,” Cousins said of the mentoring discussion, via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. “They’re pretty good players, pretty experienced, and I’m learning a lot from them as well and asking them questions.
“Nobody leads more than anybody else. I think we’re all a workforce together, helping each other, giving feedback, giving perspective [and] give to other eyes.”
Cousins added that it’s “kind of nice” to call him Mendoza’s mentor, as all QBs work to get better every day to improve the football team.
The 37-year-old defender can downplay his role in Mendoza’s development. That is his prerogative. However, it’s clear that a player with 14 years of NFL experience, including 167 starts, who has played Kubiak’s style, would have more experience than a rookie still getting used to taking snaps under center. That knowledge will come in one form or another.
After the debacle that was his experience in Atlanta the last two seasons with Michael Penix Jr., Cousins may simply be wary of titles and how those stories can turn out. The veteran QB would rather focus on the huddle.
“I’ve always felt like I prepare my best in the offseason when we can all be in the room together at night, going over things together rather than working on our own,” Cousins said. “I think when we can kind of all get feedback on each other, I think the best ideas come out.”
Mendoza said he has already learned a lot from Cousins and Aidan O’Connell.
“We’ve all come together and combined our experiences, whether from an experienced mind, a naive mind, [or] Aidan’s mind, which is a little mixed,” Mendoza said.
While Cousins is in a QB room with yet another first-round pick, it’s a very different one than the one he left behind in Atlanta. There, he was surprised when the Falcons drafted Penix after giving him a $100 million contract. In Vegas, everyone knew Mendoza was coming to town. Cousins signed knowing full well he was a bridge, one that would be as long or as short as the rookie needed.