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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
It’s clear that the Las Vegas Raiders are in a rebuild. Nonetheless, the question the front office will need to ask itself is whether they can win while Maxx Crosby is in his prime. If not, then they are better off acquiring assets for a valuable piece that many in the NFL would want.
Nonetheless, if the Raiders do believe they can turn this team around in the next two seasons, then there’s a possibility of hanging onto Crosby as the Silver and Black look to be a team that can challenge for the AFC West division.
Amid speculation about Crosby, now that most NFL teams are in their offseason mode, former Raiders star Reggie Kinlaw was asked what the team should do with its pass rusher.
“I mean, Maxx is a great player,” Kinlaw told Vegas Sports Today in a video published on Jan. 31. “I live here. He’s good in the community. Everybody loves him. He’s a franchise player. He’s going to be the face of the of the franchise. If [Fernando] Mendoza comes, Mendoza got to work his way up to be the face of the franchise. If Maxx wants to go, I can understand that. All right.
“This guy’s got the winning mentality in his head. He’s 100 percent. He goes full speed every play and he wants to win. I mean, you know, hey, personally, I ain’t never been on a losing team. And I can understand if he wants to go somewhere and start winning, but I think if he just hang in there for a couple of years, we get this show on the roads starting this year.”
49ers Urged to Make Trade for Raiders’ Maxx Crosby
There’s nothing concrete on Crosby leaving Las Vegas. However, that isn’t stopping speculation and trade ideas. Recently, Mark Willard of 95.7 The Game believes the San Francisco 49ers should pursue Crosby.
“If you want the big ticket out on the market, whether it’s free agency or trade name, that I would be obsessed with if I were a 49er fan, and I am, it’s Maxx Crosby,” Willard said on Jan. 26 on 95.7 The Game. “If you could circle one player that’s a proven player, and you could find a way to make him a Niner, that’s my guy, Maxx Crosby.”
Since coming into the league in 2019, Crosby has posted 278 solo tackles, 161 assisted tackles, 69.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and one interception in 110 games for the Raiders in his career, per StatMuse. As a result, it’s no surprise that teams across the NFL would want this production and motor on their team.
Should Las Vegas Look to Help Maxx Crosby?
Meanwhile, as the Silver and Black improve their pass rush through free agency to help Crosby, former Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy believes the team has several other weaknesses on its roster that need addressing before considering an edge rusher.
“As much as I like [Trey] Hendrickson as a player, I don’t think the Raiders need to go there,” Kennedy said on the Jan. 26 edition of the “Raiders Squad Show.” “They’ve got other things that they need to address with the money… I think they need help at linebacker. I understand what they’re trying to do with this defense.
“Of course, you want to give a Robin to your Batman with Maxx Crosby. But right now, there are so many things that are glaring to me that you cannot ignore, most definitely the offensive line, possibly the wide receiver in the secondary and stuff like that, that I would go to before I go to defensive line.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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