After years of inconsistency, the Las Vegas Raiders are hoping they have finally gotten things right with the hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach. The team they’ve been chasing for years is the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs have won the AFC West for nine straight seasons and are the favorites to win it once again in 2025. Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has had some contentious moments with Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but he has massive respect for them.
“It’s ultimate respect when it comes to them,” Crosby said of the Chiefs on ESPN, via Pro Football Talk. “They’ve earned it. They’ve won three Super Bowls, they’ve got the best quarterback in football. But for us, as a pass rusher, I’m going against the best quarterback. For me, I believe I’m the best pass rusher in the world, so every time we match up it’s match made in heaven.”
Crosby clearly thinks highly of Mahomes, but he’s proven that he’ll do whatever it takes to beat him and the Chiefs. It remains to be seen if this is the year to do it, but the Raiders should be a more formidable opponent than they’ve been in the past.
Crosby Hoping for Quick Raiders Turnaround
Crosby has only been a part of one playoff game since getting drafted in 2019 and has never experienced a playoff win. In the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder slowly built up their team and had some rough seasons, but over the last two years, they’ve been one of the best basketball teams and won a championship this year.
Crosby is hoping for a similar trajectory for Las Vegas.
“Anytime you go out there, you want to be in a position to win,” Crosby said, per The Athletic. “Individual success and things like that are awesome, but it’s not why you play the game. You play to win. We just saw it in the NBA: OKC, just a couple years ago, was one of the worst teams in the league. But they had a lot of young guys, they trusted the process, they developed and now they’re the world champions.
“We’re trying to win. I want to win so badly. I put everything into it. I want everybody else to think like that. And that’s been my goal, just bringing as many guys along as I possibly can.”
Crosby Has No Problem Working With Opponents in the Offseason
Crosby was recently one of the hosts for the annual Sack Summit. This is where many pass rushers across many teams in the NFL work together to hone their craft.
While these guys will be opponents during the season, Crosby thinks it is important for pass rushers across the football world to help each other out.
“That’s what this whole thing is about,” Crosby said. “Obviously, we’re on different teams, but for this weekend we’re on the same team together. … The pass-rush community is a very tight-knit one. You learn from the best. Seeing those guys and what they do to win, for me it’s just about taking as much information as I possibly can and trying to apply it into my game.”
