Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby signed a contract extension in March 2022 and then showed that securing a lucrative deal wasn’t going to limit his drive on the field.
Crosby set personal bests with 12.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and 36 quarterback hits during the regular season and his message this offseason is that he’s striving to continue proving himself as one of the best players in the league. Crosby said that he has heard people talk about the need for “balance” in life, but rejects that notion for himself because reaching the expectations he’s set for himself requires full devotion to his craft.
“I’ve got one goal – I want to be the best at what I do,” Crosby said, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’ve got many big goals I’m trying to achieve, and it takes more than being 50 percent in. It takes all my attention, all year round. . . . All the other stuff, I’m going to do my absolute best to be the best version of myself. But it’s a constant mission every single day no matter what it takes and what that sacrifice happens to be.”
There are plenty of question marks about the Raiders heading into the 2023 season, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s health, but Crosby has shown himself to be about as sure a thing as the team has as they try for improved results this year.