It's new regime, same mindset for Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby: just win, baby.
Crosby enters Year 7 on a run of four straight Pro Bowls with 59.5 career sacks, but team success has proven ever elusive. Under his fourth different full-time head coach in Pete Carroll, he hopes the Raiders can finally build a consistent contender.
"Anytime you go out there, you want to be in a position to win," Crosby said Thursday at the annual Sack Summit, per The Athletic's Tashan Reed. "Individual success and things like that are awesome, but it's not why you play the game. You play to win. We just saw it in the NBA: OKC, just a couple years ago, was one of the worst teams in the league. But they had a lot of young guys, they trusted the process, they developed and now they're the world champions.
"We're trying to win. I want to win so badly. I put everything into it. I want everybody else to think like that. And that's been my goal, just bringing as many guys along as I possibly can."
Winning, of course, has come in short supply for the Raiders of late.
Since the team's defeat in Super Bowl XXXVII during the 2002 season, the Raiders have made two playoff trips and never advanced beyond the wild-card round. Crosby has endured four losing campaigns, one .500 finish and a lone postseason berth -- but even that 10-7 2021 season was tumultuous, marked by head coach Jon Gruden's midseason resignation.
Crosby played under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia for the second half of the '21 campaign and Antonio Pierce in 2023 following the midseason firing of Josh McDaniels. Pierce earned the full-time gig for last season, but didn't last beyond a 4-13 finish, the Raiders' worse since Crosby has been on the squad.
As for Oklahoma City, the Thunder indeed found themselves at the bottom of the NBA barrel not too long ago, following up a 22-win 2020 season with a 24-58 finish the following year, the fourth-worst record in the league. One week ago, they raised the Larry O'Brien trophy as NBA champions.
In the NFL, where quick turnarounds are always possible, the Raiders have the makings of an exciting team to watch, capable of making noise similar to their cross-sport comparison.
That starts with Carroll, who at his last stop with the Seahawks made the playoffs in his first year and won the Super Bowl by his fourth.
Two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith has reunited with Carroll, hopefully restoring dependability to the position that's been missing for a couple years. Running back Ashton Jeanty, selected No. 6 overall in the 2025 draft, is a can't-miss prospect who promises to revitalize the Las Vegas' backfield. Plus, Tom Brady, one of the greatest winners in NFL history, is part of ownership and lending his voice.
After missing extended time for the first time in his career due to an ankle injury, Crosby is back and healthy to lead the defense.
He's in it for the long haul, having signed an extension this offseason to keep plugging away under Carroll and new general manager John Spytek. He's also fully aware that new deals, pieces and coaches don't a champion make. Only digging in and getting to work can do that.
"It's an honor, obviously, having the Raiders with a new staff and new regime come in and show me that type of respect," Crosby said of his three-year extension. "It means the world. Like Spytek said, it's not about what I've done, it's about what I'm about to do. … And we've got a lot of work to do."
