(Photo: Newsweek)
The Raiders have been rich in history throughout the years. From John Madden coaching them to many legendary players wearing the silver and black, to the big named defensive players who have played for them. Howie Long has been considered the greatest Raiders’ defender of all time, Charles Woodson was drafted by the team in 1998 and prior to him retiring in 2015, he signed with them going out the same way he came in, and I still remember in 2014, Khalil Mack became a Raider and was considered a cornerstone of the franchise before being traded. In the 2019 draft, an EDGE guy by the name of Maxx Crosby was drafted to play for the Raiders out of Eastern Michigan. Today, he agreed to a contract extension that made him the highest-paid non-Quarterback in NFL history. It’s a three-year extension worth $106.5 million and $91 million in guaranteed money.
Since becoming a pro, he has become one of the best defensive players in the league today. Many of you have heard me use the term “high motor” with many players and I can say that Maxx is the definition of the term as he plays with just that, a high motor. He’s an active player with all the energy in the world and is always on the go meaning he’s always moving. One of the first things I noticed about him is how relentless he is and how he plays with such intensity and strength. Maxx can play 80 snaps or more and will still play hard and never takes a play off. Maxx rushes the passer the same way he stops the run and what’s made him so successful on the field has been his hands and how they’re always moving as he can swipe away and overpower you with his hand technique. Maxx is a tackling machine and knows how to position himself to bring down the ball-carrier. When you think you have him blocked, or you can attempt to chip him, he finds ways to attack to protection and uses his speed to beat whoever is chipping him. Maxx is a guy that you must check many boxes for on a weekly basis, and he’s also one of those guys that can wreck your game plan if you don’t account for him. One thing I’ve appreciated about him is how he always plays to the whistle no matter if his team may be losing or if they’re winning. He has a deep bag of tricks to use to his advantage and has a counter for every thing you throw at him such as a spin move, and he loves to spin inside because he will level off and spin back in to pursue the Quarterback.
Maxx plays the run well, gets after the passer and is always in full pursuit which is why he’s considered disruptive. Since 2019, he leads the league in Quarterback pressures with 324 and that’s 40 more than any other player since his rookie season. The other guys on that list? Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa, two former Defensive Player of the Year winners. This is a well-earned deal for one of the best in the business.
