The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to be competitive this upcoming 2026 NFL season after a disastrous 2025 campaign under former head coach Pete Carroll. One of the new faces on the team is No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, and Maxx Crosby is already taking him under his wing.
Despite both players being on opposite sides of the football, Crosby probably knows that any future success for the Silver and Black will depend on the team developing Mendoza.
Crosby isn’t an offensive guru, but he does know what it takes to be a leader in the NFL. As a result, the veteran pass rusher is passing on words of wisdom to Mendoza, including being a leader now, even though he might be QB2 and is a rookie on the team.
“In this league, you need a great quarterback to win and compete,” Crosby said while speaking to the NFL Network on August 3. “And Fernando is going to be that guy at some point, and I want to see him succeed. I want this organization to succeed. I’m a Raider to the core, and I want to win more than anything. So, it’s going to take all of us, not just myself. It’s everyone. It’s all three levels, you know what I mean?
“… I don’t want to just be the only guy talking all the time. It can’t just be me. It’s not basketball where Kobe [Bryant] grabbed the dudes and was like, ‘No, this is what we’re doing.’ There’s 15 dudes on the team. You got 90 guys on the roster right now and 40 coaches.”
Maxx Crosby Passes Piece of Advice to Fernando Mendoza
Whether Crosby stays with the Raiders long-term or not remains a mystery, but the veteran appears intent on ensuring the team has a franchise QB who can lead the way he has during his time with the Silver and Black.
“I’ve been intentional with all the things I’m doing, and I want to be intentional with everything,“ Crosby added. “So that includes leadership. Fernando’s a great kid. He’s got all the talent in the world, and I want him to have all the success in the world and help lead that offensive side and not wait to be a leader.
“Rich Bisaccia told me as a rookie, I was out there as a young guy, a fourth-round pick with no expectations, but I was the most productive guy. One day, he pulled me into his office and said, ‘Don’t wait to lead. If you want to win, don’t wait to lead. If you want to sit around and let these other guys who shouldn’t be in a position to lead, good luck.‘ I took that to heart, and I’ve been doing that ever since. So, yeah, we’ve got to have leaders all across the board.”
Raiders’ Jalen Nailor on Fernando Mendoza
With training camp ongoing for Las Vegas as the preseason nears, Mendoza is drawing positive remarks for how he’s transitioning to the Raiders’ offense under head coach Klint Kubiak.
On Aug. 2, Raiders wideout Jalen Nailor spoke with the media and shared an update on Mendoza’s progress over the last couple of months since being the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“He’s taking total command of the offense,“ Nailor told reporters. “It’s not like he’s going out there for the first time. He’s under control. He’s speaking very loudly and very clearly so everybody can hear the call. Those are the things you need in a quarterback in the huddle.
“He’s just growing each and every day, and seeing that progress from the first day he got here to now, his total command of the offense, the playbook, and just being himself and playing ball.”
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