When it comes to the Raiders’ future, Maxx Crosby is not afraid to take risks in order to succeed.
That appears to be what happened when the Las Vegas defensive end “spoke my mind” with then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce’s future in doubt following a 27-14 season-finale victory over the Broncos on Jan. 7.
Crosby, who previously supported Pierce’s full-time employment, expressed his desire to become a Raider on his “The Rush” podcast the following week. But if we take a different approach, nothing is off the table.”
According to NFL Network, this included threatening to seek a trade if Pierce was not promoted.
Crosby discussed his experience with Invisalign, a clear aligner system that is faster and more comfortable than braces for teeth straightening. He admitted that being a leader is not always easy or popular.
“It’s not always about taking the simplest and most popular option. And I know I spoke for myself, which is what it is to be a leader. And I was speaking on behalf of the guys and the organization. And that is all that counts to me.
Pierce, a linebackers coach, had a 5-4 record as the Raiders’ interim head coach in 2023, following the firing of Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler in November.
The Raiders looked like a different team in the second part of the season, and Pierce swiftly took over the locker room as the epitome of the “Raider way,” which Crosby embraced.
“I want to win,” the 26-year-old Crosby explained. “If I have to endure criticism for standing up for what everyone believes in, I will do so every time, because I know I’m coming from a good place and all I want is to win. I work all year. I’m here in the building more than the coaches and executives. I’m here every day, sacrificing myself and my body, putting my body on the line to help this team win, and I want everyone else to have the same mentality.
Having said that, Crosby, one of the Raiders’ captains, believes he has earned the right to speak out on what is best for the team.
“So I feel like I’ve earned that right to speak my mind, and share what I believe is best for the team, and, that’s what I did,” he was quoted as saying. And I stand by it.
“Some people had their own feelings and opinions about it, but at the end of the day, it was all just noise. I work tirelessly and consistently. So, that’s basically what it was. I was standing up for everyone in the building, including my guys, and you know I’ll do it every time.”
Crosby just had his best season yet, with 90 combined tackles, 14.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, 23 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
In 2023, he was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and second All-Pro team.
However, it was also the season in which he experienced the most adversity in his career.
Crosby played with a knee injury for 16 weeks before undergoing surgery on January 17.
“So, basically explaining it, my bursae was destroyed and dismantled, so when I blew it up the first time, it’s like, OK, it could possibly heal if you get off it and whatever, but I played 16 straight weeks with it in practice and ran and all type of s-t,” Crosby said on Monday, in the latest episode of his “The Rush” podcast, which is available HERE. “So it just kept growing worse, and every game, I’d land on it and it would explode out. So, obviously, it got contaminated at one point.”
Crosby described the sensation as “getting a softball and smashing it” against his knee and tibia.
Not long after, the NFL player underwent a second surgery on his right hand, according to a shot he uploaded on Instagram on Jan. 30, which showed him wearing an arm sling while posing with a nurse.
Crosby, who was sporting a cast on his right hand when speaking with The Post, said he’s feeling pretty good following both treatments.
“I tore my UCL in my thumb, and I was playing through that as well,” he continued. “… And most people wouldn’t play, but I did. If I can go, I can go, and that’s what I try to teach my guys… I had the best season of my career thus far. And the next season I plan on taking it to another level.”
The Eastern Michigan product — who was selected by the then-Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft — went on explain why Pierce, a Super Bowl champion and Pro-Bowler with the Giants, is the right fit for the head coach job, and the similarities he has with the nine-year NFL veteran player.
“I feel like what makes him different is that he was a former player. He gets our perspective,” Crosby said. “I understand that you don’t have to be a player to be a great coach… but when you have a coach who was a great player and also a great coach, it’s a great formula that guys follow and understand. It’s easy to have a real man-to-man conversation because he’s been in your shoes before.”
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