Is Maxx Crosby in the Raiders’ Long Term Plan?

The Raiders chose to look to the future when they shipped Kirk Cousins to Minnesota and anointed Fernando Mendoza the starting quarterback. However, general manager John Spytek made the opposite decision with Maxx Crosby. 

Crosby is still a Raider, creating an interesting timeline for Spytek to navigate. 

While Crosby’s contract runs through the 2029 season, the Raiders can get out of the deal after 2027. As long as the Raiders don’t restructure his deal, Las Vegas can release Crosby after the 2027 season with no dead cap hit attached 

That creates a two year window for the Raiders to either make the playoffs and contend for a title or trade Crosby for assets that will help the team win in the future. 

Crosby is 29 years old. While he is still top 10 in the NFL in total pressures, he is on pace for just 7.5 sacks. He is still productive, but not nearly the dominant force he once was. As he ages, will Crosby still provide production that can help turn the Raiders around?

Spytek’s answer to that question in March was a resounding no, as he agreed to trade Crosby to Baltimore for two first round picks. But The Ravens backed out of the trade, citing a failed physical. Eight months later, Spytek changed his mind and kept Crosby.

The only reason for Spytek to reverse course is if he believes the Raiders will be contending in 2027 and 2028. With Klint Kubiak in place as head coach, the Raiders jumped out to a 3-0 record, but now sit at 4-5. That must have been enough to impress Spytek. 

A team close to winning a Super Bowl can use Crosby to disrupt opposing offenses. But the Raiders’ defense has been horrid this season even with Crosby playing in every game. The rest of the defensive line has rarely created pressure, while the secondary has been torched, as the Raiders search for competent starters. 

Overall, the defense is flawed at every level and nearly every position. It has been so bad Kubiak had to publicly defend defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s job.

Spytek is going to have to fix the entire unit to make this team a legitimate contender in 2027 and justify his decision to keep Crosby while selling off his starting quarterback.