In the NFL we are reminded constantly that it’s a business. And business decisions are often made without personal feelings involved or even despite those feelings.
So, when the Raiders reworked Maxx Crosby deal this offseason, naturally people were looking for a reason that made sense from a business perspective. Or, rather, I should say, a financial perspective.
After all, they didn’t have to do anything with his contract. He signed a four-year extension two years ago and was just one season into that extension.
So, let’s see…did it lower his 2024 salary? No. That goes up $6 million, almost all of which is guaranteed.
Did it lower his 2025 salary? No. That goes up about $2 million.
Does is backload his salary and spread it out? No. His base salary and cap hits actually go down each of the next two years after this season.
So, why then? What’s the raw numbers financial benefit to bumping Crosby’s pay? The answer: Maxx Crosby.
That’s it. He’s earned it. He deserves it. It’s about paying him what he’s worth and keeping him happy. It’s about not taking for granted his loyalty to this team and treating him like numbers on a page. It’s about knowing he isn’t just his stats, he’s the heart of this team on and off the field.
There are few players in this league whose presence means more to their respective teams than Crosby means to the Raiders. And, even if he won’t say it, or even think it, he shouldn’t ever look across the league to those who are his equals and be buried below them in terms of his salary.
This pay bump is just $5 million total over the length of Crosby’s contract.
In terms of average pay per season, the bump moves Crosby up from the 9th highest paid edge rusher to the sixth highest paid, just behind reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett.
In terms of just the next three seasons, it makes Crosby the highest paid EDGE in football.
So, for a pay bump that is not much from a team standpoint – the Raiders have plenty of cap space to handle it – that $5 million buys them something worth a lot more than stats. It buys them goodwill.
It tells Maxx Crosby that he’s the most important player on this team and among the best in the league at his position. And by extension it sends the message to other players – be they currently on the roster or outside free agents looking to join the team – that they will be taken care of by this organization in kind.
It’s a smart, long view approach that fits well with the way the Raiders have always wanted to be seen – as a team that doesn’t put the bottom line ahead of the players who put on their uniform.
Few players embody everything the Raiders value in a player like Maxx Crosby has. And they are making sure his pay reflects that.