The Las Vegas Raiders are in a bit of a holding period. While the franchise hiring Klint Kubiak, the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator, is the league's worst-kept secret at the moment, the Raiders cannot officially announce the move until after the conclusion of Super Bowl LX.
Waiting for Kubiak will certainly be worth it, but the silence coming out of Las Vegas is testing even the most patient fans' patience. The Raiders still need to finalize a coaching staff, and then they need to get cracking on pro and college scouting as they look to round out the roster this offseason.
While things are fairly dormant in the building, at least on the surface, those around the league have begun weighing in on the hire. Raider Nation is used to having their decisions criticized or undersold by the national media, so the fanbase cares more about what those in the building are saying.
Ashton Jeanty seems to be a fan of the move, and minority owner Tom Brady has raved about Kubiak in recent interviews as well. But what does Maxx Crosby, the team's undisputed leader, think? After staying fairly silent, he had high praise for Kubiak in a recent podcast appearance.
Maxx Crosby is seemingly a fan of Raiders' new head coach Klint Kubiak
As he does regularly, Crosby appeared on the Let's Go! Podcast with Jim Gray earlier this week. When asked about Las Vegas' reported hire of Kubiak, Crosby made his feelings known about the 38-year-old coach.
"Seeing what Seattle has done, and seeing what Sam Darnold and that offense has done, it's been extremely impressive," Crosby said. "Seattle, in general, this year, has done a lot of great things. Coaching is extremely important in this league. So, from what I've seen and what they've done, his scheme is extremely effective, and they've done a lot of great things this year."
Now, Crosby swerved around the Raiders component of the question, choosing to solely praise the job that Kubiak has done with the Seahawks this season. And, until things are officially official, that is fine.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider already spilled the beans earlier this week by admitting that Kubiak is coming to Las Vegas, and Jeanty spoke about things as if they were a done deal. But Crosby's choosing not to is his prerogative.
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That said, given all of the trade rumors that swirled around him during Super Bowl media week, some portion of Raiders fans may read into the fact that he didn't give as enthusiastic an answer as Jeanty or talk about Kubiak within the scope of Las Vegas.
But it sounds like Crosby thinks highly of Kubiak, which is all that matters at this point. Crosby is under contract, and the ball is completely in the Raiders' court. If the superstar defensive end likes Kubiak's vision, it shouldn't be hard to talk him down from whatever tempers may have flared recently.
If Crosby does want out and Las Vegas won't oblige, the veteran player is a true professional, and fans know he won't voluntarily take himself off the field. If he wants out and the Raiders cash in, they'll get a mountain of picks. Fans have to have faith that things will work out, regardless.
Before we even get there, however, the 2025 NFL season needs to end, and Kubiak needs to get in the building in Las Vegas. Crosby is clearly a fan of Kubiak's work, but it will be interesting to see how the relationship evolves from there.