Raiders sign Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby to 4-year, $99 million extension
The Las Vegas Raiders are locking down one of the NFL's top pass rushers.
Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby has agreed to a four-year, $98.98 million contract extension with $53 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Crosby had one year with $3.99 million in salary remaining on his rookie contract.
The #Raiders are signing Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby to a four-year, $98.98 million contract extension with $95M in new money and $53 million guaranteed, sources tell me and @RapSheet. A massive payday for a rising star. 💰💰💰
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2022
The Raiders confirmed the deal.
This condor belongs in Vegas 🦅
We have signed @CrosbyMaxx to a multi-year contract extension » https://t.co/VAifJw4Cs0 pic.twitter.com/8kRjdECNZe— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) March 11, 2022
The $24.75 million annual value will make Crosby the fourth-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL, according to OverTheCap, behind only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa.
Maxx Crosby earned his new Raiders contract
Crosby has been a member of the Raiders since the team selected him out of Eastern Michigan in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. Since then, he's become one of the biggest mid-round success stories in the NFL.
Per Pro Football Focus, no defender in the NFL had more pressures than Crosby's 108 last year, and the service also had him as the second-most valuable edge rusher in the league. Going by more conventional stats, Crosby had 56 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, eight sacks, seven passes defended and tied for fourth in the NFL with 30 QB hits, per Pro Football Reference.
In three seasons, Crosby has posted 25 total sacks for the Raiders. He received his first Pro Bowl nod last season.
Crosby's massive extension is also a happy development after his personal struggles with alcoholism, which led to him checking into rehab in 2020 after his rookie year.
From ESPN:
"It got to a point after my rookie year my life became unmanageable," Crosby said. "Alcohol, partying and all that s*** became too much of a distraction in my life. It became just overwhelming. I've always had issues with drinking and partying throughout high school and college. I've been able to slip by and get by, but it became too much for me and it's always been that one crutch.
"Alcoholism runs in my family and I'm an alcoholic. So, for me, I knew it was something that was always a crutch. I always knew I had a problem. I knew I couldn't just drink like everybody else. I got ahead of it. My first year of sobriety is always the hardest and that was last year. I had a lot of ups and downs. Mentally it was really tough for me. But going in, I'm almost a year-and-a-half sober now and life is great. I'm really enjoying every single day. I'm enjoying the work."
Crosby now has the day he checked into rehab tattooed on his right forearm: 3-11-20. He picked two years to the day to sign his life-changing contract.
