Behind-the-scenes rise that convinced Raiders to deal Kirk Cousins

Source: New York Post

By the time the Vikings gave the Raiders a reason to trade Kirk Cousins on Tuesday, Fernando Mendoza had already given them the confidence to say yes. That part played out on the practice fields in Henderson. While Cousins was throwing 20 touchdown passes in nine starts, the rookie behind him was coming along fast enough to change how the Raiders could approach the NFL trade deadline.