If there is one player who truly exemplifies what the Las Vegas Raiders are all about it is, without a doubt, star defensive end Maxx Crosby. Not only is Crosby absolutely unstoppable on the field, Crosby has also grown into the true leader of this franchise.
Last season was Crosby’s best yet, as he set career highs in total tackles (90), tackles for loss (23) and sacks (14.5) while finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, being named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and a second All-Pro Second Team selection. And the Raiders felt it necessary to reward him.
According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, the Raiders are giving Crosby a $6 million raise for the 2024 NFL season without adding any extra years onto his contract, a move that rarely happens around the league:
The Las Vegas Raiders are giving three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby a $6 million raise for the upcoming season without adding any years to his contract, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
The Raiders are also moving $1.2 million from his 2026 salary into the 2025 season, sources said.
If there is anyone deserving of it, Crosby is that man. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and pushes through everything to be on the field for the Raiders. In fact, Crosby underwent two surgeries this offseason to fix issues he dealt with last year, making his incredible season even more impressive.
Now Crosby’s focus is solely on winning and bringing the Raiders back amongst the NFL’s elite as he spoke about at the outset of the team’s offseason workout program:
“But yeah, it’s been a blessing. I mean, it’s been a damn journey, and for me, all that matters at the end of the day is winning, winning for this organization. I pour my heart and soul into this, and I want to be the best leader and teammate I can be on a daily basis, and being a Raider is something that’s special to me. I’ve got real relationships from the owner all the way down to the janitor. I’m here every day for a reason. It’s like a family. There’s not many teams that operate like we do, and we’ve just got to translate that to winning, and it’s just exciting to get things rolling again.”
One thing is for sure: Crosby will do everything in his power to make the Raiders a winning team, and the franchise made a great decision by rewarding him for all he has done and will continue to do.
Maxx Crosby helping Raiders 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson develop this offseason
One way the Raiders plan on being better this season is in the trenches, and on the defensive side, they stand to get a big boost from last year’s first-round pick Tyree Wilson. Free of injury this offseason, Wilson has been hard at work making improvements and, of course, Maxx Crosby has been there to push him.
Wilson recently spoke on Crosby’s help with him this offseason, noting that the Raiders captain isn’t just helping him with on-field things but also with diet and nutrition, stretching and proper recovery.