Raiders Maxx Crosby was absolutely snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year honors

Anybody who has watched one minute of Las Vegas Raiders football over the last five seasons knows what Maxx Crosby brings to the franchise. A fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan, Crosby has had to fight for everything he has accomplished in the NFL, both on and off the field.

We have seen his progression since his first start back in 2019, and since then, he has been a menace coming off the edge for the Raiders. This season, he took his game to another level, carrying what would become a real unit on the defensive side of the ball in Las Vegas, and setting a career-high with 14.5 sacks.

However, his accomplishments go way beyond just sacks, as he racked up 90 tackles, and consistently put pressure on the quarterback. When all was said and done, Crosby became arguably the best defensive player in football, and was a finalist for the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year honor.

On Thursday, the NFL gave out its yearly honors, and the Raiders star was absolutely snubbed for the league Defensive Player of the Year award.

Raiders star does not receive 1 first-place vote

Many had hoped Crosby would win, and the fact that he did not is not an indictment on him, or the voters. What makes Crosby the ultimate snub this year is the fact that he did not receive a single first-place vote on the ballot this season.

Myles Garrett took home the honor this season, and he was deserving of the award, as he had 14 sacks of his own and four forced fumbles. The voting was definitely favoring of teams that went to the playoffs, as Garrett received 23 first-place votes, TJ Watt 19, and Micah Parsons 7.

All told, Crosby ended with only five second-place votes and six third-place votes, which was a shocking total for a guy who had 48 more tackles than Garrett, 6 more tackles for a loss, one more quarterback hit, and only two less forced fumbles.

When it comes to the defensive side of the football, it is hard to argue against Crosby being more valuable to his team over any other player in the NFL this season. This will just be another thing that puts a chip on his shoulder going into next season, so the rest of the league should be put on notice.