For the first time in his six-year career, an ankle injury forced Maxx Crosby to miss games in 2024. However, the two-time All-Pro believes he will be back at full strength to lead the Las Vegas Raiders defense in 2025.
Crosby, who underwent season-ending surgery in December 2024, believes he is already ready to return to the field. The 27-year-old edge-rusher claims he is already “100 percent” and has “no hesitation” with OTAs underway.
“It’s just been incredible being out there with my teammates, being able to just fully be myself, not hesitate on any type of cut and just cut it loose,” Crosby said, via The Score. “It’s the best feeling on the planet. I’m having so much fun out here, just being 100% and no hesitation.”
Crosby is known for his durability, consistency and tenacity on the field. Before going down, he played 100 percent of the defensive snaps in nine of his 12 games. For context, Trey Hendrickson, who led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, only played more than 85 percent of the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive snaps in two of his 17 games.
While the Raiders turned their entire team upside-down over the offseason, Crosby remained one of their few constants. The team doubled down on its defensive captain, rewarding him with a three-year, $106.5 million extension. That contract made Crosby the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time of his signing. However, the record only stood for four days before being broken by Myles Garrett.
Raiders hope Maxx Crosby returns to lead defense in 2025
The Raiders made a plethora of changes around Crosby in the past few months. The team brought in new management with John Spytek, who subsequently hired Pete Carroll as the franchise's next head coach. Since then, Las Vegas overhauled its roster with new additions Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty, Jack Bech, Devin White, Raheem Mostert and others.
While the offense will take an entirely new form in 2025, their defense remained largely intact. Carroll opted to retain defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. In turn, the Raiders maintained their core of Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Christian Wilkins and Adam Butler.
But while their defensive line returns, the Raiders lost all three starting linebackers and three of their four leading tacklers from 2024. With almost an entirely different roster debuting in the fall, the team will go as far as their on-field leader, Crosby, will take them.
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