Heading into Week 1, fans and analysts alike were expecting something new from the Las Vegas Raiders. After all, they were the only team that hired a new QB1, RB1, and head coach throughout the offseason.
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Nevertheless, here we are, a little more than halfway through the year, and it’s more of the same from the AFC West’s perennial losers. Their offense has been particularly disheartening, so much so, in fact, that the franchise decided to fire its offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, before the start of Week 13.
That decision will cost the Raiders $16,438 per day (per their $6 million deal) until 2028, and firing a coordinator mid-season tends to doom their unit for the remainder of the year, but according to the team’s veteran pass rusher, Maxx Crosby, Kelly’s early exit is nothing more than an unfortunate result of the business.
“We had a mutual respect, and it just didn’t work out. Simple as that,” Crosby said, before agreeing with the Raiders’ decision to part ways with Kelly. “This game is a production-based business, and our offense had been struggling, so they felt like we needed to make a change, and we did,” he explained.
The four-time Pro Bowler also took some time to set the record straight on some of the inaccuracies that he had seen making the rounds in the media. Crosby specifically called out Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio for intentionally misinterpreting his initial comments about Kelly’s firing, and didn’t necessarily hold back either.
After noting their shared appreciation for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Crosby did his best to make his respect for the veteran coordinator abundantly clear.
“Mike Florio put out a clickbait article that said ‘it was time for a change’ or made it seem like I was saying that we needed to fire Chip or something like that. It’s completely the opposite, I’m showing respect... Chip was always really cool with me, we had a great relationship… Stop with the clickbait sh*t,” Crosby outlined, before adding that, ” Chip and I have always had a great relationship and I wish him the best.”
Upon Kelly’s firing, Carroll announced that his quarterback coach, Greg Olson, would become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator for the third time in his career. Olson initially received a headset back in 2013, but he would only keep it for a year.
Four years later, in 2018, he’d once again get the honor of controlling the Raiders’ offense. His second stint would last until 2021, and shortly after that, he’d make his way to Seattle, where he’d become the quarterback coach for Pete Carroll’s Seahawks.
The 74-year-old head coach is putting his trust in the resume and experience of Olson, but he’s also assured fans that this would be the final change that he would make to the coaching staff this season. Thankfully, there’s only a handful of games left in the regular season, so they won’t have to suffer for too much longer anyway.
