Maxx'd Out

We can now move on.

The Raiders have been quite the subject of discussion during this offseason. They have #1 overall pick in the NFL draft, which in all likelihood they will take Heisman/Natty-winning QB, Fernando Mendoza. After the Super Bowl, they went ahead and hired without question the hottest candidate in the coaching market, Super Bowl-winning Offensive Coordinator, Klint Kubiak (whom I was 100% onboard in bringing in). They have a lot cap room to go out and spend in free agency. Everything is aligned for the Raiders to fully rebuild and potentially change the culture for the better.

Except there was one big elephant in the room. It was not a matter of if, but a matter of when. And in the dead of this past Friday night, the Raiders did the thing. They traded away Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens two first round picks: one for this year at #14 overall and another for 2027.

We've all seen this movie before 7 years ago when the Raiders traded away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears in the midst of a contract tussle between both parties. This is the sequel. Another example of the Raiders giving away a generational defensive superstar.

But the thing is that this sequel didn't hurt as much as the first movie. Mack getting traded away hurt my soul because it came out of nowhere a few days before the start of the 2018 NFL Season. (I still to this day haven't forgiven Jon Gruden about that). This one, you were prepared for the inevitable breakup. Because Maxx made it known that he wanted out since the Raiders shut him down for the "Tank Bowl" against the New York Giants. And he made it known he wanted to compete now rather than go through another rebuilding phase. So, the noises were loud and clear. And when it got too loud, John Spytek and the Raiders decided to turn it down with this trade.

If anything, this trade is a win-win for both teams. Maxx gets to go to a contender. The Ravens are still a talented team with an established QB in Lamar Jackson, they have Derrick Henry, some pieces on defense, and a new head coach to bring them new blood. So they still have an established core there and they see Maxx as the missing piece. 

The Raiders, as much as it sucks to say, they're hitting the reset button again. But this is by design. Maxx Crosby staying on the team won't bring much benefit as he doesn't fit the timeline. The Raiders are clearly planning to build around Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and potentially Fernando Mendoza. They are without question going to be the new faces of the franchise moving forward with Klint Kubiak at the helm to help unlock their full potential. And Kubiak in the combine mentioned that they're switching their defensive scheme to a 3-4 defense and Maxx's fit in the new scheme was highly questioned because he's not the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. 

By trading away Crosby, they get more draft capital and more cap space. With the #1 overall pick #14 pick to go with picks at the top of each round, the Raiders have a chance to accelerate their rebuild. Which is easier said than done because the Raiders have been notorious in blowing their draft picks, reaching for underwhelming talent or finding diamonds in the rough but wasting them away. This is going to be a very important year for Spytek and Kubiak to lay down the vision for the Raiders to finally get the ship right.

Losing a talent like Maxx Crosby still hurts. One of our greatest pitfalls as fans of a team is that we get emotionally connected to a player that devotes his loyalty to the team and consistently performs at a high level night in and night out. And that perfectly describes Maxx Crosby. It's mind-blowing to think he's one of the few last remaining Oakland Raiders on the roster. Of course, they still have Kolton Miller and could possibly bring back Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole and maybe they bring back Alec Ingold from free agency. But Maxx is like the last standout superstar from the Oakland era. And losing a talent like him hurts. But some of us will be rooting for him. He has a chance for a ring. And hope he has a lot of success in Baltimore, just not against the Raiders.

As for the Raiders, this is the second time they pulled this. By any means, should they ensure this does NOT happen a third time. But we all can move on now and usher in a new era. With a Super Bowl-winning coach as the Head Coach and a Heisman and National Champion franchise QB potentially on the way in the draft, the Raiders can't ask for a better head start in the rebuilding phase. At this point, we just have to trust the process and hope that this team finally gets it right.