EXCLUSIVE: Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Talks Big Goals, Myles Garrett Relationship
Posted on: March 3, 2026, 04:01h.
Last updated on: March 3, 2026, 04:01h.
- Maxx Crosby sets his sights on Defensive Player of the Year and Hall of Fame legacy
- Crosby’s relationship with Myles Garrett pushes them both “to be better players”
- Raiders’ star embraces “delusional confidence” in pursuit of NFL greatness
Trade rumors continue to swirl around Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, but one thing remains certain: no matter where he plays the next few years, internal expectations for the 28-year-old remain sky-high.
Crosby is one of the most decorated players in the NFL, and he’s taking aim at some of the most coveted individual and team awards starting in 2026. “I’ve made Pro Bowls, All-Pros, but I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year multiple times,” Crosby told Casino.org in an exclusive interview.
“I want to be First-Team All-Pro multiple times. I want to be a Super Bowl champion. I want to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Those are the things that I want to be, and I plan on being. “I have a long way to go. I know some people might have their opinions or whatever, but it doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant to me. If people don’t believe in it, I’m gonna make them believe, and that just starts with the work.” Crosby has racked up five Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro nods since the 2021 season. His 69.5 sacks since entering the NFL in 2019 rank fifth among all players. And yet, he’s far from content. “Some people, they talk about having that confidence, that delusional confidence that people are gonna call you crazy until you actually do it, and then they call you a genius,” Crosby said.
“That’s really what life is about. I live one life. I got one chance at this. “I’m going all-in and nobody thought I would get to this point. I’m gonna just keep doing what I do, keep doing what I’m doing, fine-tune everything across the board. I’m gonna bet on myself every single time, because I know how much I put into it. The work that I put in when no one’s looking, that’s what matters most. I feel like all the great players will tell you the same thing.”
Crosby details Myles Garrett friendship
Crosby is aiming to reach the same pantheon as Browns star edge-rusher Myles Garrett, who has two Defensive Player of the Year awards and set the single-season sack record this past season. Crosby is very familiar with Garrett, going back to their high school days in Texas.
“I know Myles really well,” Crosby said. “All the way back to high school. We both went to high school in Texas. He went to Martin in Arlington, I went to Colleyville. We were right down the street from each other. He’s a little bit older, so I kind of watched from a distance. But once I got into the league, we’ve competed against each other multiple times, our teams. We’ve been to multiple Pro Bowls together. It’s been five years in a row of being in the Pro Bowl together.” Garrett is nearly two years older than Crosby, but they’ve had similar career paths. Both play on franchises that have been known to lose over the past couple of decades, with Garrett experiencing just two playoff appearances since entering the league in 2017. Both have established themselves as the best players at the defensive end positions while resetting the market when it comes to contracts. Crosby signed a deal that earned him $35.5 million per year last March, which made him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Meanwhile, Garrett reset the market with his four-year, $160 million contract ($40 million per year), which made him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league shortly after Crosby’s deal. “We talk from time to time,” Crosby said.
“We’ve been through similar situations as far as what’s going on with the team and the contract stuff. When you have a guy like that that understands what’s going on. I can’t have that conversation with everybody, as far as the financials and all the other stuff that comes with it. Me and him have just gotten really cool off of just talking about real life stuff that a lot of people can’t really talk about, relate to. When you have other guys that can understand that, it’s really cool.”
“I want a Defensive Player of the Year Award like Garrett”
Crosby outlines that he would love to mimic Garrett’s career in terms of winning Defensive Player of the Year awards. That’s one accomplishment that Crosby has yet to add to his resume. “Me and him, we definitely have a ton of respect for each other,” said Crosby. “I feel like over the years we’ve made each other better just by being in competition — he’s trying to be the best. He’s got two Defensive Player of the Year awards now, that’s something I want to aspire to be like. I know the competitor in me. I know the competitor in him. “We’re competition, but at the same time, we respect each other, because we know we’ll go to the end of the world to get what we want. I feel like that has made us better as players. Two AFC defensive ends who made the Pro Bowl for five straight years and plan on making it for many more years to come.”
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