If (and when) Shedeur Sanders get taken down by Maxx Crosby during Sunday’s Browns-Raiders game, the rookie quarterback should know it’s nothing personal—just business as usual for the Raiders star pass rusher.
Sanders is set to make his first ever NFL start after getting subbed in during Cleveland’s Week 11 loss to the Ravens for a concussed Dillon Gabriel, and he’ll face a team that notably passed on him several times during April’s draft. Sanders was ultimately selected by the Browns in the fifth round following a shocking draft day slide that few, including Crosby, saw coming.
But what’s past is past, and Crosby for one is entirely focused on the present. The Raiders star spoke briefly about what it’ll be like playing against Sanders in the rookie’s first full game this weekend.
“Regardless, we have a job to get done and we got to make his life miserable,”Crosby said of Sanders on his podcast, The Rush With Maxx Crosby. “And we got to shut down their offense for us to have a chance.
“I’m going to watch the film, see what everything looks like, take it one day at a time. But yeah, I got a ton of respect for obviously OG Deion and his whole family, they're great people and it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun for sure if [Shedeur] ends up being the guy.”
Maxx Crosby Reacts to Shedeur Sanders Starting Against the Raiders! 👀 pic.twitter.com/O8ZxlMh6Ks
— The Rush Podcast (@TheRushWithMaxx) November 19, 2025
Sanders could be in for a long and treacherous outing Sunday if his offensive line doesn’t hold up against the Raiders’ fearsome pass-rushing corps spearheaded by Crosby. The Browns quarterback was sacked twice against the Ravens in roughly two quarters of action and only managed to throw for 47 passing yards along with one interception. He’ll be looking to record his first touchdown of his NFL career against the Raiders, but it definitely won’t come easy with Crosby hunting him down all game long.
Crosby apparently has a longstanding friendship with Sanders, whom he has called his “little brother” and was close with during the rookie’s turbulent draft process. After Sanders landed on the Browns, Crosby said he was “wishing him the best” while also urging the young quarterback to silence his doubters.
“At the end of the day, you get drafted, that’s all that matters,” Crosby said. “You can be the No. 1 overall pick, you can be the last pick. Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant—he just got paid $265 million. So all that s--- doesn’t matter. He just has to come in with the right mindset.”
We’ll see if Sanders can bring that mindset to his first full debut against the Raiders on Sunday.
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