The Las Vegas Raiders are tied for the worst record in the NFL. To make matters worse, they’ve lost their best player for the remainder of the season. Defensive end Maxx Crosby will be out of action after suffering an ankle injury that will require surgery.
Maxx Crosby Reveals Decision To End Season
When the Raiders take the field Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons, they will do so without their most dominant player.
This past Saturday, Crosby posted on his Instagram account that he had met with specialists who advised him to shut it down for the rest of the season. Crosby also revealed that he “truly wasn’t fully healthy all year.”
“As much as this pains me to write, I will not be playing the rest of the season,” Crosby’s post read. “Second time this year getting rolled up on the same ankle and now it will require surgery. As much as it pains me to not go to war with my brothers and for the fans, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I have absolutely zero regrets with my process, my approach and my discipline to this game.”
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In his post, Crosby stated that he had suffered a high ankle sprain against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 2 and never completely recovered.
“Instead of sitting out for over a month with my first high ankle sprain … I only missed 1 game and came back and fought all year because that’s who I am,” Crosby said.
He further injured his ankle last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he fell victim to a chop block. As a result, the specialists have recommended he have surgery on the ankle and rest it for the remainder of the season.
“I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” Crosby wrote on Instagram. “I will get this surgery [and] be on a war path for greatness everyday and be back the best version of myself.”
Until this season, Crosby had never missed a game since being drafted by the Raiders in 2019.
Crosby had been having a Pro Bowl-type year, despite the setback. In 12 games this season, he had 7.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and 45 tackles, including a league-high 17 tackles for loss.
According to Spotrac, Crosby signed a $98.98 million extension prior to the 2022 season. He has the highest annual average salary on the Raiders’ roster, second to only Christian Wilkins, who was signed by Las Vegas as a free agent this past offseason.
