NFL News: Raiders star Maxx Crosby shares his thoughts on the arrivals of Pete Carroll, Tom Brady

The Las Vegas Raiders are one of those franchises that needed a change of direction to get back on track for the upcoming NFL season. And they’ve made it happen—at least, they’re certainly trying. With the arrivals of Pete Carroll and Tom Brady, many are optimistic about a strong season ahead. Among them is Maxx Crosby, who sees this move as crucial to resolving his contractual situation and fighting for bigger goals.

In a recent appearance on his podcast The Rush, Crosby shared his thoughts on the arrivals of both Carroll and Brady, considering that these moves were, in part, influential in his decision to renew his contract with the franchise.

“There was obviously some uncertainty when [Antonio Pierce] got fired. I don’t know what the direction was, who was going to be the coach, all of these things. So, the competitor in me is like, ‘Okay, I want a chance to win.’ That’s never going to change. Once they hired [General Manager John] Spytek and Pete Carroll, bringing in Tom Brady officially as a part owner, Michael Meldman, Egon Durban, all these guys, the new ownership group, Mark Davis as well. Everybody knows me and Mark are like this. I love that dude to death.

So, having those conversations and getting to a point where I’m fully on board with what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish, then it just made too much sense. Then it just became a numbers thing,” he firmly stated.

Pete Carroll (L) and defensive end Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders talk after a news conference introducing Carroll as the head coach of the Raiders and John Spytek as the team’s general manager at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on January 27, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada.

Crosby’s thoughts on his contract renewal

Maxx Crosby recently made headlines after becoming one of the highest-paid players in the league who doesn’t play the quarterback position. In reference to this, the defensive end expressed his happiness about continuing his career with the Raiders.

“Happiness and peace, being at peace, and being in the right space up here is more important than anything,” he said. “So, I took that heavily into consideration. There was obviously a million rumors, you hear all this s—, you see this s— on TV. There’s a lot of negativity that comes with it when it comes to trade rumors. Your own fans, they start coming at you. 99 percent of this s— is not coming from me. Every word I say is picked apart. So, there was a lot of that, but the end-all be-all, my tone never changed. I always wanted to be a Raider since day one. I think everybody knows that.”

Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Maxx Crosby’s new deal with the Raiders

The Raiders’ defensive end and one of the franchise’s top stars recently became one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. Pete Carroll ensured the continuity of one of the best defensive ends in the league.

The news was announced days ago by NFL insider Adam Schefter, through his official X (formerly Twitter) account @AdamSchefter.

“Las Vegas Raiders are signing Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension that includes $91.5 guaranteed, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history, per sources.

“For the third time in four years, the Raiders are addressing the contract of their cornerstone player, this time cementing his relationship with the Raiders for the foreseeable future. The deal was negotiated by CJ LaBoy and Doug Hendrickson of @wasserman.”