Maxx Crosby is staying in Las Vegas, but the situation surrounding his future with the Las Vegas Raiders is anything but settled. The All-Pro defensive end went through a wild stretch recently, briefly linked to a move to the Baltimore Ravens before ending up back with the only NFL franchise he has ever known.
Seven seasons in, Crosby has built a resume that speaks for itself: 278 solo tackles, 161 assisted tackles, 69.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, an interception and five Pro Bowl selections. By every measure, he is the cornerstone of that defense.
Yet despite all of that, the Raiders were ready to move on. And that's where things get complicated. With Klint Kubiak now installed as head coach and a full roster reset underway, questions are swirling about whether the relationship between Crosby and the organization can actually get back on solid ground.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98). Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Hall of Fame defensive end Jared Allen addressed exactly that on FS1's "First Things First," and he was not optimistic. Allen pointed straight to the core of what makes this situation awkward. Both sides were clearly headed in different directions just weeks ago.
Now they are expected to reset and build something together again under a new coaching staff that had no part in the original relationship.
"It's tough for me to imagine," Allen said. "You have two parties who are amicably going to split based on compensation. Now coming back, pretending we both want each other. You have a new coach, new team, new D-line. You have new players, now the face of your franchise is supposed to be someone else, now he's back. So how are you gonna sit there and now rebuild that chemistry, rebuild that culture around Maxx Crosby? The reality is, they might not want that."
Crosby is 28 and playing with urgency. So, his window to compete for a Super Bowl is right now, maybe the next two or three seasons at most. A young coaching staff thinking about a three or four year rebuild may not be working from the same calendar.
"A coach would be silly not to want to build around him, but he's also getting up there. He's 28 years old. He's pushing those upper limits, and a young coach might come in and say, I need these picks, I need these players, we're looking at a 3-4 year future, and Maxx really is looking at a 1-2-3 year future and trying to win a Super Bowl. I don't know how it comes back together. I really don't," Allen added.
That tension is real, and it is not going away just because Crosby is back on the roster. What the Raiders do have going for them is leverage and options.
A new head coach is in place, the franchise holds the No. 1 overall pick, and there is enough cap space to make meaningful moves. Early free agency activity has already pointed toward a team with real intent this offseason. Fernando Mendoza looks like the likely pick at the top of the draft, a selection that could set the tone for everything that follows.
The pieces are there for Las Vegas to take a serious step forward. Whether Crosby is still the face of that rebuild when it pays off is the question no one can answer right now.
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