Maxx Crosby has been with the Las Vegas Raiders for six years now. Well, that’s not an insanely long stretch. However, given how chaotic things have been around the team, he already boasts the second-longest tenure among players on the team.
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The Raiders’ defensive end is behind tackle Kolton Miller, who has been with the team for seven years. Since Crosby came on board in 2019, the Raiders have had just one winning/playoff season (a Wild Card loss). And their 43 wins over that span rank 22nd in the NFL.
This wouldn’t be as frustrating for Crosby if he hadn’t been so dominant. So many prime years just wasted. His 59.5 sacks since entering the league in 2021 rank fifth for the six-year period, and his 105 tackles for loss are the most in the league. Crosby has indeed been a rare bright spot on an otherwise frustrating team.
But now, with a completely new regime in town, headed by minority owner Tom Brady and head coach Pete Carroll, Crosby felt confident enough in the franchise’s future. And he has signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.
Carroll will be Crosby’s fifth head coach as he enters his seventh year. And, ahead of the 2025 campaign, he says he’s never seen a team run the way Carroll does it.
“It’s something that, at this level, I’ve never experienced it. Having a guy who’s a proven winner, at whatever level he’s been at. From college at USC, to the pros in Seattle for all those years,” said Crosby.
“Just being around it, it makes sense why he’s had so much success in his career. You know, people joke about the age and stuff like that, and I give him some flak sometimes. [Laughs] You have to,” he added.
Carroll knows what it takes to win
Crosby talked about how Carroll’s easygoing demeanor has made the two-time All-Pro enjoy going to work again. It is a far cry from the years of high-stress environments with coaches like Josh McDaniels, Jon Gruden, and Antonio Pierce, who were constantly on the hot seat or dealing with scandals.
“It’s been so much fun, he makes the environment, makes showing up to work enjoyable every day, and that’s something you can’t take for granted. Because it’s been rough in the past some years, that’s just reality. It’s been a whole shift of energy,” Crosby said.
“And it’s not just the players, and not what [is] being said, it’s the action behind it, and he’s all about coaching the coaches and getting everybody else on board. He’s holding everybody accountable.”
Carroll’s cool-guy, players-coach demeanor doesn’t take away from the most important thing: Winning. Crosby has not experienced a lot of that in the NFL. So his excitement when it comes to playing for Carroll is understandable.
The HC has not only had success and won major titles before, but still has that hunger for competition, even at age 73.
“But that’s the type of person he is. He loves a challenge, he loves to compete in everything he does, and he loves to win. It’s not just about competing, it’s about winning at the end of the day, and he’s all about that,” praised Crosby.
Carroll is just half an offseason into his tenure with the Raiders. But he has clearly already given this team his classic identity. His focus is on building a good defense and a strong running game. They selected RB Ashton Jeanty No. 6 overall with that plan in mind.
The club went big on defense in both free agency and the later rounds of the Draft. Not to mention locking up their best player, Crosby, to an extension. And that was important because it shows everyone that the team’s top dog believes in this project and its coaches.
