A reminder of the legendary Raiders defenses of old, superstar Maxx Crosby has made a name for himself as a hard-nosed, gritty defender. As a result, many saw him as a Raiders lifer. But, over the course of this season, his future in Las Vegas has come into question.
Due to their lack of a franchise QB, the team is a ways away from competing. That led to rumors about in-season trades, with destinations like the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs being mentioned. This week, Crosby’s comments added fuel to the fire. And now, there seems to be even more pointing to a divorce between the DE and Las Vegas.
Maxx Crosby Expresses Disappointment With the Raiders
Since Crosby went down with an injury in Week 15, trade rumors have continued to surface. The Raiders have been struggling mightily since he arrived, primarily due to the lack of a franchise quarterback. Could Crosby look for greener pastures in the near future?
Those concerns were on his mind while recording his podcast “The Rush With Maxx Crosby,” where he spoke at length about the Raiders’ situation in recent years.
“Years of inconsistency, you know what I mean? It’s new coaches every year…There’s been plenty of times when I’ve been like, ‘Damn, this d-line is cold and then I come back and every single one of them is gone, like, what the f**k?’ It’s just on and on, there’s a lot of things,” Crosby said. “It’s tough, bro.”
While Crosby has two years remaining on his contract, there is no guaranteed money on his deal, leading to more questions about whether he’ll remain in Las Vegas.
“My contract situation, like, I have no more guaranteed money,” Crosby said. “There’s a lot of different things like, obviously, there’s going to be a lot of things that need to be talked about and I’m looking forward to those conversations… Yeah, it’s going to be awesome. Like, I’m really looking forward to this offseason process.”
I hate the sound of this, Please don’t leave us man 💔 pic.twitter.com/tw3p1xhxw3
— Terrence (@_terrence_R8er) December 24, 2024
Speaking about the fanbase in particular, Crosby had nothing but love to share about them.
“I will say that the Raiders fans have been dope… I love ’em to death. That’s one thing, like, through everything the fans have since Day 1 truly embraced me in being in their corner and I think it’s been the dopest s**t,” he said. “Even with my injuries, the support has been like the coolest s**t ever. And so, there’s so many different things that got to be talked about and so, it’s gonna be interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”
But from the Raiders’ perspective, who should get a shot at a top-flight QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, they might see more value in trading the defensive end away. While the 27-year-old is a terrific player, the return might be worth it for a rebuilding squad.
And given the hints in recent weeks, it’s clear that Crosby has a ton of respect for Kansas City, despite the rivalry between them. On the “Let’s Go Podcast,” he gave the Chiefs credit, calling them “the team to beat in the AFC.”
“The AFC is stacked right now; obviously, you gotta look at KC as the No. 1 threat,” Crosby said. “Back-to-back champions, regardless of the way they’ve been winning. They’ve got the best record and the best quarterback. You have to be on all points and fire on all cylinders to beat a team like that.”
During Saturday’s Chiefs game against the Houston Texans, he also tweeted “KC” with fire emojis, which sparked fan speculation. And in perhaps a very telling move, right behind Crosby during the entire episode of his podcast was a framed photo of himself and the aforementioned “best quarterback” Patrick Mahomes hanging on the well.
A sign of things to come? We’ll find out in that “interesting offseason” that Crosby couldn’t emphasize enough.