It’s a brand-new era of Raiders football.
While many are still getting used to the fact that they now play in Las Vegas, the Raiders are and always will be one of the biggest and strongest brands in all of football.
Needless to say, the Josh McDaniels era didn’t exactly go according to plan.
The Raiders have since turned the page and handed the keys over to head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco.
They’ve had a strong offseason and were one of the real winners of last month’s NFL Draft.
After all, you could certainly make the argument that the best overall player in the entire draft fell right into their laps with the 13th overall pick: Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
With McDaniels gone, morale has instantly risen around the Raiders’ building.
Things weren’t also so peachy, however.
Shortly after the conclusion of the season, All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby hinted that he wanted out of Vegas if Pierce wasn’t named the permanent head coach.
As a show of good faith, Telesco and the Raiders did something they certainly didn’t have to do – they voluntarily gave Crosby a raise.
According to reports, Vegas revised Crosby’s contract and bumped his 2024 salary up an additional $6 million.
On top of that, come 2025, Crosby will see an additional $1.2 million.
While this type of move is relatively uncommon in the NFL, it’s a hell of a gesture by the Raiders front office.
If there’s anyone deserving of raise, it’s Maxx Crosby … After all, there might not be a single player in the entire league that plays as hard as Mad Maxx. (Never mind the fact that he NEVER comes off the field.)
Prior to the revision, Crosby’s contract was set to pay him $19.382 million in 2024, followed by $21.92 million in both 2025 and 2026.
Despite the raise, Crosby’s new deal still falls short of the top-tier contracts in the league, notably trailing behind the massive deal received by Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers, who will earn an average of $34 million per year.
Crosby is not quite on Bosa’s level. But he might soon get there.
What are your thoughts on the Raiders paying-it-forward and awarding Crosby with a raise?
Will the gesture help them in the long run?
Looking at the big picture, what are your realistic expectations for Vegas this season?
As far as Crosby, where do you rank him among the top pass rushers in the league???