Name: No, the Las Vegas Raiders Shouldn’t Trade Maxx Crosby
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No, the Las Vegas Raiders Shouldn’t Trade Maxx Crosby

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To say that Maxx Crosby and Antonio Pierce get along is an understatement. From the moment that Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels, he has never hesitated to praise the effort and energy of his star pash rusher, and Crosby has reciprocated it. Every time #98 has been asked about the head coaching search, he has thrown his full endorsement behind the former New York Giants linebacker. That came to a head this weekend, when Crosby implied that if the Las Vegas Raiders don’t hire Pierce, he may request a trade. 
This has led many in Raider Nation to call his bluff. Whether or not Pierce is hired, these fans want Crosby off the team for challenging the absolute leadership of Mark Davis. I do not agree with them, and here’s why. 
I remember when Jon Gruden stood in wine country and promised that he would get Khalil Mack back in training camp. It felt like a foregone conclusion that Mack would be re-signed, after all, elite pass rushers are hard to find, and they would find the money for him. Instead, he never took another snap with the Raiders. He was traded to the Chicago Bears and the Raiders completely fumbled the return on the investment. 
That same draft, the Raiders picked fourth, and were hoping that elite edge rusher, Nick Bosa, would fall to them. Instead, he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers, and when the Raiders were up to pick, they went for the second best pass rusher in the draft… Clelin Ferrell?
The reaction meme aside, this teaches us two things. Firstly, the Gruden/Mike Mayock era first round picks were a nightmare. Secondly, the difference between a perennial defensive player of the year candidate and a situational run stopper is two picks. As Gruden would infamously say later, his trademark smirk/grimace stretched across his face, “it’s hard to find a good pass rusher.”
Khalil Mack didn’t want to leave the Raiders, he just wanted to get paid. He plays arguably the second most important position in football, and he wanted to make sure he got paid. The Raiders wouldn’t pay him in time, he had a good agent, he got what he wanted. Money was the most important, and he did what he had to to get paid. 
This isn’t the case for Maxx Crosby.
Just so we are all clear, Maxx Crosby isn’t asking for more money. 
Maxx Crosby didn’t show up, have a couple 10 sack seasons, and complain because he’s only the second highest paid pass rusher in football. If the Raiders were to bring in a Jim Harbaugh or a Bill Belichick, it would be his fifth head coach. He was drafted under Gruden, made the playoffs with Bisaccia, bought into the Patriot Way with Josh McDaniels, and has elevated his teammates with Antonio Pierce. As someone who has committed his entire life to a team, he could be meeting his fifth coach after his fifth season. 
Crosby has been advocating for Pierce since he got promoted because he believes that Pierce is the answer to the Raiders’ coaching woes. He saw the impact that Pierce had on the team, especially the defense, and he believes that with the full backing of Mark Davis, Pierce could save the team. Crosby is far from the only one, or even the most important voice saying this.
Ignoring the booming chants of the crowd and #HireAP trending on Twitter, the likes of Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, and even Charles Woodson have pubicly endorsed the promise of Pierce. They see a team and a fanbase that has undergone so many culture changes without success that Pierce, a galvanizing leader of men, could represent something the franchise has been struggling to find, hope. 
With Josh Jacobs and Hunter Renfrow likely leaving the team this off-season, Crosby will be the sole remaining member of the Oakland Raider’s final draft class. A man who got a Raiders tattoo before he played a single down for the team, Crosby has fought his way from being an afterthought in the same draft where they found Mack’s replacement in Ferrell to being a team captain and a perennial All-Pro.
When he was extended before last season, instead of regressing as players often do when they get the big contract, Crosby took his game to the next level. Before he got re-signed, he averaged 30 tackles, 14 of which were for a loss, and eight sacks a season. After signing his massive contract, he’s averaged almost twice as many tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, and 14 sacks. He’s doubled nearly every snap and has played more than 90% of the defensive snaps over the last two years, even when he had a septic knee that could’ve been fatal. 
You already know this, but I felt like it needed to be repeated because fans feel comfortable trading this man away. They feel that Crosby has rejected them or overestimated his importance. These “fans” believe that Crosby is a spoiled brat, throwing a tantrum because he’s not getting his way, and for that, they want to send him to another team. 
Crosby, who isn’t asking for money, who isn’t crying about his guarantees, who refused to give up on the Raiders when his life was on the line, shouldn’t be a Raider anymore because he used the leverage he had to push for something, not for him, but for the betterment of the Raiders. 
Did any of the fans who want Crosby gone actually listen to what he said? Because he didn’t say “hire Pierce or Trade Me,” he said that nothing was off the table. That isn’t a direct threat or ultimatum, it is his way of saying that “I want to be here, but I don’t have to be.” Anyone who can’t relate to that has never quit a job they hated. Anyone who can’t wrap their mind around wanting stability at the workplace, and contemplating leaving if they don’t get it, has been very blessed in their professional careers. 
I don’t even necessarily agree that Antonio Pierce is the right guy for the job (he needs these things). And regardless of what he implies now, I don’t think Crosby will actually demand a trade, nor do I think that ownership will honor his request. You can absolutely disagree with everything Maxx Crosby is saying. 
But to turn on him that quickly? To want a guy traded because he uses his leverage to do what he thinks is best for the team, mere weeks removed from him single-handedly trying to drag the Raiders to the playoffs? That is not what the Raiders are supposed to stand for. The rebellious rollickers doing what they think will help them win by any means? How did we go from “this man deserves Defensive Player of the Year” to “he would be in Tennessee already if Al were here” overnight?
Also… if you think the Raiders could be bad with Antonio Pierce, imagine how bad they would be without Maxx Crosby.

To say that Maxx Crosby and Antonio Pierce get along is an understatement. From the moment that Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels, he has never hesitated to praise the effort and energy of his star pash rusher, and Crosby has reciprocated it. Every time #98 has been asked about the head coaching search, he has thrown his full endorsement behind the former New York Giants linebacker. That came to a head this weekend, when Crosby implied that if the Las Vegas Raiders don’t hire Pierce, he may request a trade. 
This has led many in Raider Nation to call his bluff. Whether or not Pierce is hired,...

No, the Las Vegas Raiders Shouldn’t Trade Maxx Crosby

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