Raiders making Maxx Crosby a priority the right move
The Las Vegas Raiders have begun contract extension talks with Maxx Crosby, and that is the right move for the franchise moving forward.
As the annual combine festivities rage on, so do the talks between defensive end Maxx Crosby and the Raiders’ general manager Dave Ziegler, regarding an extension.
As reported by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, contract negotiations with the defensive end “have begun and are going well”. League sources have even gone as far as telling him there’s a good chance Crosby gets his extension before the team’s quarterback.
Crosby was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, as part of a rookie class that went on to set the NFL on fire. Together, as a rookie class, Crosby and his fellow first year teammates ranked #1 in numerous stats; Scrimmage yards, scrimmage touchdowns and sacks, to name a few.
Crosby’s ten sacks were the biggest reason the Raiders ‘19 draft class had more sacks than any other team’s rookie class that year. Beyond the sacks, he was also able to force four fumbles.
On his way to finishing second in Defensive Rookie Of The Year voting, ‘Mad Maxx’ took home a Defensive Player of the Week award; His first of three.
Year 2 wasn’t as impressive as the previous, but he still played with that swagger and motor every coach dreams of. 7 sacks and a fumble recovery were the highlights, or so it seemed. Later, it was revealed the true highlight of his season was Maxx playing through a torn labrum as well as a broken metal plate in his hand.
Coming into year three, the expectations were high. The league already knew what kind of player Crosby was; One that gave you all he had every snap, with the toughness to miraculously play through injuries like a torn labrum.
Even with the league expecting great things from him, Crosby was still able to shatter those expectations.
This past year, the defensive end batted down 7 passes, recorded 8 sacks, lead the league in pressures (via PFF), made the Pro Bowl – Where he won co-MVP – and took home two Defensive Player of the Week awards on his way to earning a second-team All-Pro.
While Maxx certainly has the talent, he’s a shining example that hard work pays off. On “The Pat McAfee Show”, Crosby explains he feels his development is a result of not letting anybody outwork him.
"“And that’s what I’m going to continue to do going forward”."
Pro Football Focus projects the defensive end to get $136.25 million over 5 years, averaging 27 million a year.
The projects are always fun, but nothing is particularly close to official yet. In fact, when asked about the extension talks at the combine, first year general manager Dave Zielger replied with, “I wouldn’t say we’re there yet”.
Zielger claims there’s a time and a place to go over the small details, but with free agency and the draft coming up, it just isn’t that time yet.