Why Raiders' Maxx Crosby is optimistic about new direction

With fresh leadership on board and a new direction charted, Maxx Crosby is a believer in his Las Vegas Raiders.

Crosby was at the news conference on Jan. 27 when new head coach Pete Carroll, 73, was introduced. Crosby felt "great energy" in the room as he listened to Carroll and new general manager John Spytek talk about the future of the Raiders, the kind of future that Crosby has been asking for since the end of the regular season.

Cosby said he's spoken to minority owner Tom Brady, Spytek, Carroll and other team officials about the direction they're taking and how they will attack free agency. Crosby understands that he is not getting any younger as each season passes. At 27-years-old, he is in the prime of his career and has repeatedly said he wants to win.

"I'm looking forward to continuing talking to them and having those conversations," Crosby said while a guest on "PFT Live" with Mike Florio and Chris Simms on Feb. 6. "It seems as if we're going in the right direction ... This is probably the most optimistic I've been in recent years."

That's good news for the Raiders to hear those words from their star pass-rusher. In Crosby's six seasons with the Raiders, he's only played in the NFL playoffs once in 2022 when the team was one-and-done in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-round round. That left a lot of hunger for Crosby, whose recent teams haven't gotten close to the playoffs.

Some wondered if Crosby would be traded while the Raiders go in rebuild mode. The Buffalo News' Jay Skurski recently made a case for why the Buffalo Bills should trade for Crosby.

"At the end of the day, I want to win," Crosby said. "I'm obsessive about winning and being the best at what I do. I'm not content, I'll never be content."

With the Raiders sitting at $92M in salary-cap space, help could be on the way for Crosby and the Raiders through NFL free agency. Crosby desperately wants to win, and he is counting on Carroll and Spytek to deliver for the Raiders and give the team the pieces they need for the 2025 NFL season.