The Las Vegas Raiders have not exactly been a beacon of consistency during Maxx Crosby's tenure on the team.
Not only did the team move cities after his first NFL season, but he has already played under four different head coaches and general managers in his first six seasons.
After the Raiders chose to clean house once again this offseason, Crosby made comments about his uncertainty with the franchise given that he was set to play under his fifth different regime before the age of 28.
However, Mark Davis and his hiring committee did draw praise for their pairing of Pete Carroll and John Spytek as the team's next head coach and general manager. Carroll's former players and Spytek's former colleagues raved about the two, which gave Raider Nation plenty to be optimistic about.
Except for the fact that their star edge rusher was silent about the matter.
Last offseason, Crosby pounded the table for Antonio Pierce to be the team's next head coach along with several other star players. Among them were Josh Jacobs, who was not retained in free agency, and Davante Adams, who was traded early in the 2024 season.
This gave Raiders fans pause, as it seemed like every player who joined themselves at the hip with Pierce was here one day and gone the next.
When other players were posting on their social media pages about Carroll coming on board, Crosby was silent. He did, however, show up to the pair's introductory press conference on Monday and drew praise from both Carroll and Spytek. He also appeared to have friendly conversations with both afterward.
But the All-Pro edge rusher finally broke his silence on Wednesday's edition of the "Let's Go" podcast on SiriusXM.
When asked about his new head coach, Crosby gave him the highest compliment that a guy like Crosby can give someone:
"It's exciting... I think the number one thing you look at is just energy. We talked about it a few times. Competition as well. As a competitor, as somebody who brings energy all the time and lives off that and expects it from others, I love somebody with that type of mentality. So he's a winner. He's done it his whole career. And it's just exciting to see what's going to come soon."Maxx Crosby
If there is one thing that the Eastern Michigan product can appreciate, it is someone who can mirror or match his energy and passion for the game of football. Crosby is a rare breed in terms of his approach to the game, and Las Vegas has seemingly found not only a man of similar approach, but someone who has proven that he has the tools to take this team where they want to go.
Crosby also added the following about the team's mindset under their new head coach:
"The main things that (Carroll) talked about is, we're going right now... We're not wasting time. That's the one thing he mentioned to me after his press conference. We're going to get this thing rolling. So, it's exciting. That's my mentality every year. I want to win every year. That's the competition in me, and I see that in him. I feel like everybody, from the new ownership group, from (owner) Mark (Davis), everybody's on the same mindset when it comes to attacking this new regime."Maxx Crosby
Obviously, the endless cycling of coaches and executives has been exhausting to Crosby, his teammates, and the fans alike. But as it stands now, the Raiders have their most experienced and successful tandem in place, and the floor of the team has been raised.
Based on his comments, the Crosby trade rumors can be put to rest, for now. He will still need his contract restructured, but Spytek made it clear that you simply don't let good pass rushers leave the building.