The final weeks of Maxx Crosby’s season were not short on drama — at least in the way it ended.
Days after his season officially finished, the star Raiders edge rusher opened up about his thoughts on playing football and how he embodies that in his work ethic.
On Saturday, Crosby, 28, was placed on season-ending injured reserve over a knee injury, one day after he left the team facility after the Raiders made clear they did not want him playing in the team’s final two games of the 2025 season. Earlier in the week, Crosby made clear that he didn’t “give a s–t about” the Raiders’ potential chance at locking up the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
On Monday’s episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast, Crosby, while not directly addressing the drama about his season ending, did talk about the “core principles” he believes in as a five-time Pro Bowler.
“When it comes to football, there’s certain things that I truly believe in, and I feel like there’s core principles that you gotta live by, and there’s a certain way the game needs to be played,” Crosby said. “And there’s a certain approach that you have when you go into the field. And the way you look at it, from my perspective, is you play to win. You play for your teammates, you put everything you have into the game, no matter what it is. There’s gonna be bumps and bruises. You’re gonna be banged up. That is a part of the game and the nature of the beast.”
Around the same time of the IR decision on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it was expected Crosby would need surgery to fix his knee.
In a twist after all this news came out, Crosby, on his social media, posted videos of him shooting hoops and jumping on a trampoline, though it’s not clear when the footage was taken.
Crosby, when asked about the potential for surgery, said he was feeling well.
“I’m doing phenomenal,” Crosby said. “I’m here at the facility. Have a lot of thoughts and emotions, but I’m focused on putting the work in and being with my teammates. At the end of the day, I love being with my guys. That’s it. I’mma just leave it at that. I’m doing great, though. Happy. That’s all I can say on that.”
The Raiders are playing a banged-up Chiefs team in Week 18, and with a loss, would lock up the No. 1 pick with the chance to draft Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Crobsy signed a three-year extension worth $106.5 million that keeps him under contract with the Raiders through the 2029 season.
