The Las Vegas Raiders are in the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager.
The Raiders fired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler in late October after falling short of owner Mark Davis’ expectations.
Interim Coach Antonio Pierce and Interim General Manager Champ Kelly took over after McDaniels and Ziegler’s firing, both performing admirably in their time, so much so that other teams in the league with head coach or general manager openings have either interviewed or requested to interview both of them.
While the Raiders have done their due diligence on other coaches and general manager candidates, many fans, and even players, hope Pierce and Kelly are retained permanently.
One of those players is defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has been outspoken about his support for Pierce and Kelly. Crosby said on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, that he has had input in the coach and general manager search, having several conversations with Davis.
“It’s pretty straightforward,” he said. “Me and Mark have had a lot of conversations. We got to sit down together, I got to share a lot of my opinions, he asked a lot of questions, I asked a lot of questions, but I made it very clear there’s no gray area in my approach to what I feel like is best for the future of this team, and that’s to keep AP. Everyone knows that, and Champ Kelly as well at GM.”
“I feel like he’s definitely earned the right as well and deserves the opportunity to prove himself as well, so I feel like AP and Champ, they come in a package, they’re a package deal. They’re on the same page. He lets Champ do his job; Champ lets AP do his job, and it’s very straightforward and black and white. When it comes to Mark, me and him have had a lot of conversations. He probably gets sick of me blowing up his phone and sick of me telling him how I feel, but at this point, I really don’t care. For me, I just want what’s best for the team and the organization.”
Crosby is the heart and soul of the Raiders, their emotional leader, so, unsurprisingly, his voice carries prominent weight with Davis.
The entire podcast episode can be found here.
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr, and never miss another breaking news story again. Sign up RIGHT HERE for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes thrice a week and delivers all our best stories.
More must-reads: