Maxx Crosby has been a vocal leader since he arrived with the Raiders.
During his time with the Silver and Black, Crosby has stated that he has always wanted to stay with the Raiders for the rest of his NFL career. Speaking on The Jim Rome Show this week, Crosby again expressed his commitment to staying with the Raiders, saying he wants to win a Super Bowl for the team.
"The guys who inspire me are the Kobes (Bryant) and the (Michael) Jordans; the guys that stayed at the same place and won in the same place," Crosby said. "No offense to the guys like LeBron and those dudes -- I won't give them some heat, but they took the easier road traveled and that's not the way I look at it.
"Going through the ups and downs and the hardships is going to make it that much sweeter when I do win a Super Bowl. So, I plan on being here for a very long time and I plan on winning here. You know when I signed that contract, I didn't have any type of, you know, thought of leaving or idea of leaving. I feel like I'm going to be a Raider for life."
Crosby being inspired by Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan's journey with one team is a positive for the Raiders, as the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end is only under contract through 2026 and has no guaranteed money beyond this season. Crosby even has a "Be Legendary" tattoo featuring Bryant and Jordan. Although his comments on LeBron James' route to success do pack some "heat" considering how rare it is for a player in either sport to stick with just one team, Crosby has been consistent in his desire to be on the other side of that coin.
Whatever adversity comes, he wants to face it in Las Vegas in order to deliver a trophy to the Raiders.
Since being drafted by the Raiders in 2019, Crosby has only played in one playoff game in five seasons. Crosby has seen a few changes in head coaches and defensive coordinators over his five seasons with the Raiders. In 2024, Crosby will have the coach he wanted in Antonio Pierce. During Pierce's time as the interim head coach after Josh McDaniels' firing, Las Vegas went 5-4 to finish the season. This offseason, owner Mark Davis retained Pierce.
Even with the upheaval, the 2023 season still had some memorable moments for the Raiders. As Pierce embraced the Raider way and won over the locker room, the club beat the New York Giants in his coaching debut, put together a 63-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers and won a Christmas Day game over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Las Vegas will have new pieces to feature with Gardner Minshew, Alexander Mattison, Michael Gallup and Christian Wilkins. Pierce will make a big decision as to who he decides to be starting quarterback between Minshew or Aidan O'Connell for Week 1, something that could be a storyline to watch through training camp.
Crosby and the Raiders will get a chance to continue their path to reaching Super Bowl LIX when mandatory minicamp begins on June 11.
