In one of the most shocking turns of events in recent NFL history, the Las Vegas Raiders and Maxx Crosby are stuck back together.
The Baltimore Ravens backed out of the blockbuster trade that would’ve led the superstar pass rusher to the AFC North, and he’s back in Sin City.
However, Crosby might not hate that situation. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Raiders’ free-agency spending spree and new-look coaching staff might make Crosby feel like they finally have a chance to compete at the highest level. As such, he may not want to leave anymore:
"If you’re Maxx Crosby and you’re the Raider you say you are, and he is, why do you wanna leave that now when the Raiders are putting together some parts that make it more encouraging and give you more optimism than you had about that team in recent memory," Schefter said.
Schefter added that the Raiders never truly wanted to trade Crosby. So, now that there might be some concerns about his long-term health because of his failed physical, they have no incentive to trade him for a lesser return:
"He was the one who wanted to move on. Then he got traded, and it didn’t work out, and now he’s back," Schefter continued. "If the Raiders are going to trade him today, I think his value would be 80 cents on a dollar. All of the factors out there make it less likely that Maxx Crosby will be traded, and most importantly, we have Maxx Crosby confessing his love to the Raiders and saying that he wants to be back there."
Crosby sounded eager to run it back with the Raiders and stay in Las Vegas for the remainder of his career. He’s earned the right to play for a contender, but his team is finally trending in the right direction.
Of course, the Raiders still need to prove that they’re better after all these moves, and things may take some time with a rookie quarterback. That said, there’s just no way they’re a better team without Crosby than they are with him.
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