Cousins signs with Raiders

[chucker]

I don't love this. I get it, but I don't love it.

[Attyla]

From Grok:
No, the specific picture in that X post is not real—it’s AI-generated.
The post from @vegasraiderdad (a Raiders fan nonprofit account) shows a split/composite-style image:
• Left: Fernando Mendoza walking into the Raiders Training Facility hallway (smiling, in a black Raiders jacket).
• Right: Kirk Cousins at a desk in a Raiders hoodie and cap, writing in what looks like a “Raiders 2026 Season Playbook” notebook, surrounded by tablets.
The caption (“Fernando Mendoza showing up to the Raiders facility for the first time. Kirk Cousins just so happened to be reviewing the Raiders playbook. ‘C’mon in.’”) is clearly a humorous meme setup. Multiple replies in the thread immediately called it out as AI (e.g., “Why the f[raiders_icon]ck would you Ai this”, “Terrible Ai lol”, “This Ai”).
Why it’s fake
• No credible outlets (NFL.com, Raiders Wire, Ian Rapoport, Adam Schefter, team Instagram, etc.) have ever posted or referenced this exact image. Real coverage of Mendoza’s Top 30 visit (April 7–8, 2026) includes different photos from the facility, often credited to photographers like Jacob Musselman/Imagn Images.
• The visit itself was real: Mendoza did tour Raiders HQ in Henderson, NV, met with coaches/ownership (including Tom Brady reportedly being on-site), and had a film session with Kirk Cousins. Cousins even spoke publicly about it on GMFB, calling Mendoza a high-caliber person and expressing excitement about potentially working with him.
• This image is a fan-made AI meme blending real events into a fun “what if” visual. It’s very well-done and realistic-looking (common with current AI tools), which is why it spread quickly among fans—but it’s fabricated.
Plenty of authentic photos and videos from the visit exist (e.g., group shots with staff, film room scenes), and the hype around Mendoza as the projected #1 pick to the Raiders is legit. This one just isn’t one of them.

So AI generated but not real. Makes sense. I would agree that it does look fake, especially Fernando's face.

[Attyla]

So AI generated but not real. Makes sense. I would agree that it does look fake, especially Fernando's face.

Picking apart that photo. Mendoza is 6'5 and that is a standard size door, he has just passed through it but there appears to be a lot of space between the top of his head and the top of the door. And a 6'5 guy would not have the push bars midway up his torso.

[Viper]

maybe or maybe that part of the shadow is also part of the photoshop. It just looks really mocked up to me, and photoshop would be my best explanation because that shadow under his foot is the only part of the floor that is affected. And with lights directly overhead it just does not look right. I would love to see a picture of his visit on the site to verify what he was wearing that day.

Personally don’t care what he’s wearing on this visit as long as he’s wearing our uniform come game day.

[DanKD]

Were screwed, Mendoza is shorter than Kyler Murray

[BoKnows81]

Who cares if this picture is fake or not. It will be real before we know it.

[Attyla]

Who cares if this picture is fake or not. It will be real before we know it.

It was an observational exercise much like a find the errors game. Find the errors in the AI photo. I went to the hands early on, that is where you see it often. But in this case it was scale.

[KillerRaider30]

[Cruisin with Tooz]

https://www.nga.gov/artworks/218429-tit ... ding-rifle

[KillerRaider30]

Have we discussed his possible trade values?

[Arsenal Raider]

Have we discussed his possible trade values?

If he plays well enough that teams would be willing to pick up his contract as structured, then hypothetically he'd have trade value.

I expect that's actually part of the reason why they structured his deal the way they did, as an insurance policy for a trade.

[BoKnows81]

Listen, if we start kirk cousins, we're not surprising anyone. Start Mendoza? Absolutely.

[Willmark]

At this stage with the draft incomplete we have no idea of the final configuration for 2026.

Yes Mendoza is a lock, but the rest remains to be seen. A million things can happen between now and the start of the season.

For the first time in a long time we can simply sit back and watch because for the first time in decades it looks like we have a FO that knows what it’s doing.

[Xramfan]

For the first time in a long time we can simply sit back and watch because for the first time in decades it looks like we have a FO that knows what it’s doing.

While I agree with you I can’t help but be nervous

[Willmark]

While I agree with you I can’t help but be nervous

Oh I’m with you. No kool aid drinking here. So far signs look promising. Let’s see it on the field.

[mstrbass2000]

Have we discussed his possible trade values?

kirk cousins to a playoff calibre team that just lost their starting qb if gonna bring a high pick back tot he raiders at the trade deadline