Maxx Crosby acknowledges that his contract extension may trigger a domino effect in Raiders' free agency plans
The Las Vegas Raiders can now get started on the rest of their free agency plans, and believe me, they have a lot of things they need to get done. Getting Maxx Crosby's contract extension done was likely at the top of the list. Now they move on. The Crosby extension was not only a […]
The Las Vegas Raiders can now get started on the rest of their free agency plans, and believe me, they have a lot of things they need to get done. Getting Maxx Crosby's contract extension done was likely at the top of the list. Now they move on.
The Crosby extension was not only a box to check on their long list of things to do in the 2025 offseason, but it will also help bring in some guys from free agency. Specifically, it will help bring in some of the 13 defensive free agents they have, all crucial pieces of a pretty good defense the last few years. They will also bring in guys who weren't with the team last season. We saw that last year with Christian Wilkins.
However, head coach Pete Carroll, who orchestrated one of the greatest defenses of all time with the Seattle Seahawks, said he wants every defensive free agent from last season to come back. It's not realistic to think all 13 will be back. But after Crosby's extension, it's safe to say the Raiders are going to be a team that players want to play for, especially the guys who played with Crosby last year.
Think about this: The extension helps the Raiders bring in free agents, old or new, because people will want to play with him. Who will go to Las Vegas if Crosby isn't there or his situation is uncertain?
"I would hope so. For me, it's about bringing people with me," Crosby said during his press conference on Wednesday. "I talked to Tom [Brady] and obviously the new ownership group, talking to those guys, some of the mentors in my life and the next step for me is continuing to evolve in all aspects, and that's including leadership and as a player and any way I possibly can.
"And that's how my mindset is, 'How can I get better?' And there's so many different ways I can do that. So, pushing people, pulling people, trying to bring as many people with me. And that's a daily thing. And, yeah, I got a lot of work to do. There's always going to be room for improvement. You never got it. So, that's truly my mentality every day."
Crosby is at the level of his career now where he is a piece that is used during free agency in a way that will only make other players want to come to Las Vegas. And, it only makes his former teammates who are now free agents, want to come back, that is, unless there are better situations out there for them, which there are.
Getting the best team round Crosby is one of the most important things the Raiders have to do now. Yes, he signed a three-year extension, but after those three years, who's to say Crosby will still be in his prime? He could be, because it is Maxx Crosby, one of the most relentless humans on earth. However, you never know what can happen. He has said it himself, he's only getting older, not younger.
Putting pieces around Crosby is key. John Spytek, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager, did a good job of that at his previous job. I think he'll do it well this year.
