Maxx Crosby has been the heart and soul of the Las Vegas Raiders' defense since he was drafted in 2019, when the team was still in Oakland. The fourth-round pick has exceeded even the highest expectations for his career and has often been the lone bright spot on an otherwise awful defense.
Additionally, the two-time All-Pro has consistently demonstrated his loyalty to the franchise. Despite the media's repeated efforts to force him out of Las Vegas, he has maintained his stance that he plans to play his entire NFL career for the Raiders.
Former Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, who is no friend of Raider Nation, recently questioned why Las Vegas paid Crosby if his production doesn't lead to wins. Crosby then fired back at Talib's claims, noting that his play speaks for itself.
Maxx Crosby fires back at Aqib Talib's claim that the Raiders shouldn't have paid him
Following the Raiders' Week 9 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Talib went on a rant targeting Crosby. He blamed Crosby for Las Vegas allowing 150 rushing yards, while suggesting that his stats are meaningless in a debate with Crosby's former Raiders teammates, Richie Incognito and Gerald McCoy.
Crosby fired back at Talib's claims on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby.
"You can't get mad at somebody that's uneducated in the situation. ... Come on, bro, I don't even have to defend myself. Go look up the numbers. Go look up the tape. Go watch me play a football game. Go watch the game I played on Thursday," Crosby said. "The only thing that was disappointing about the whole (expletive) thing is the fact that, bro -- and he might not even remember this -- the first time I ever worked out with an NFL player was 'Big Snacks' (Damon) Harrison. Everyone knows 'Snacks' Harrison, one of the best nose tackles. He was the run-stopping king at that time in the league. I went with 'Snacks' Harrison and (Brandon Jordan) to Aqib Talib's D1 Gym. He owned the gym in Texas. But I remember being there with his whole family, and they're like, 'Bro, you're the white boy from Eastern (Michigan), you're cold.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, they actually know who I am.' I (expletive) with Aqib Talib. He's a dog. And looking forward at this situation and having him come and say that (expletive), he could have an opinion about whatever, but he don't know what the (expletive) he's talking about. He could sit in the room with me right now and we could watch (expletive) film together if he thinks I don't stop the run."
That pretty much sums it up. Talib quickly backtracked on his comments in a social media post on Tuesday evening, but Raiders fans aren't going to just let him off the hook.
"@CrosbyMaxx I was making a point brudda! You can’t tell from the clip that was posted. But I promise you can if you watch the full convo," Talib wrote. "You are top in the league vs EVERYTHING! Run & Pass! This is @RealSkipBayless fault!LOL! Nothing but respect my boy! You already know that!"
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Crosby has proven to be one of the best edge rushers in the league against both the run and the pass during his career. In fact, the Raiders' superstar ranks third in the entire NFL with 13 tackles for loss this year, trailing only Myles Garrett and Brian Burns.
He led the league in that category in both 2022 and 2023 as well, and is in line to have his sixth top-six finish in seven seasons by this metric. Additionally, as a former All-Pro cornerback, Talib should know that one player is not enough to consistently shut down an entire opposing rushing attack.
Crosby has never played alongside another All-Pro defender, and Denzel Perryman's 2021 season is the only time that the Raiders have even had another Pro Bowler beside him on defense in his career. Talib's comments are baseless, and the Las Vegas star was right to dismiss them.
If the Raiders surrounded their superstar with talent on the defensive end, his game would likely shine even brighter. As it stands, he is putting together yet another strong season, as he has recorded 37 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, one interception, one forced fumble, and six passes defended, proving to be worth every penny of his $106.5 million extension.
Furthermore, Las Vegas' run defense has not been terrible despite the bad game in Week 9. The unit ranks 14th against the run and has given up 100 rushing yards just three times this season, so Talib was not even in the ballpark of having a well-based criticism of Crosby.