“I’ll love Kirk Cousins till the day I’m off this planet,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby told ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. However, back in the offseason, there was a moment Crosby might have walked back on his word. Infamously, the two were involved in a fight during practice.

A long time has passed since then, and the incident, as it does between good friends, has become a funny memory. With Cousins now going back to Minnesota, Crosby looked back at the fight as a warm memory.

“We were literally in the locker room laughing about it [afterward],” he told McFadden, when asked about his favorite Kirk Cousins memory. “The whole world is making it like we hate each other, and I’m an a—–e because I went after Kirk because he’s an older guy, and all this stuff. It’s on ESPN, and we’re like, bro, how does this happen? But that’s the world we live in.

“We both laughed it off, and it really wasn’t nothing. Nobody threw a punch. He got pissed because I hit him, and he was screaming at me, and I’m like, ‘What the f—?’ It really was as simple as that. He kept everything fun, but he was all business. He was like the ultimate professional.”

On August 7, Crosby hit Cousins’ throwing arm twice during a team drill. After the second hit, Cousins got in his face, grabbed his jersey, and traded words until teammates separated them.

Cousins finished the drive, while Crosby was sent to the sideline. Crosby had said before camp that coaches warned him about touching the quarterback, an issue throughout his career.

First-year Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak shrugged it off right away.

“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.”

There were still consequences. The Raiders held both players out of team periods the next day for disciplinary reasons, which let No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza run the first-team offense for the first time in camp.

Fast forward to November 10, deadline day, when the Vikings acquired the 38-year-old Cousins for a 2027 third-round pick. His exit had long been written on the wall, as his main job was to hold down the fort at quarterback to allow Mendoza to get a feel for the NFL, while keeping the Raiders competitive. Cousins delivered what was asked, though he and the Raiders stumbled when they played bigger opponents.

“This was a hard decision, but we felt like we made the best decision for the Raiders going forward,” general manager John Spytek said.

It is a homecoming for Cousins, aka Kirk-o-Chainz, who played in Minnesota from 2018 to 2023, and he reunites with head coach Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings’ offense is averaging 18.4 points per game and 266.8 yards per game. Cousins can prove to be a massive relief for the team.

Minnesota does not have a dependable QB at the moment. Kyler Murray, who was signed this year by the Vikings, is dealing with a hamstring injury. Backup QB Carson Wentz is also underperforming, and the Vikings had already traded away J.J. McCarthy, who is having a great time with the New York Giants.

If Cousins is ready, he could face the Packers at Lambeau Field this Sunday.

Cousins has been far from a placeholder in Vegas, where he played in nine games. He has thrown for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Raiders to a 4-5 record and an offense averaging 26.4 points. The veteran QB is 5th in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns.

That is a lot of production for a quarterback many assumed would simply keep the seat warm for Mendoza. That is why the move stings. It also opens the door for Mendoza, who will start Sunday against the Seahawks and has attempted only eight passes this season.

The post "He Was Screaming at Me": Maxx Crosby Recalls Heated Confrontation With Kirk Cousins After QB's Trade to Vikings appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.