The Raiders are in yet another rebuild mode after a 4-13 season where they fired their general manager and head coach. They need to build out the roster and despite having 10 picks in the upcoming draft. Trading away assets and accumulating draft picks and clearing cap space will help this rebuild which may include trading some of their top talent.
Though never officially available, there has been a lot of chatter about Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby potential trade market. Crosby currently has two years left on his contract that pays him $23.5 million AAV. He carries the second highest cap hit on the team just after DT Christian Wilkins and could garner some draft picks for the Raiders to move around the board.
Today’s article breaks down the injury history of Maxx Crosby and any potential concerns should the Buffalo Bills be successful in trading for the pass rusher.
Injury History
2019 Oakland Raiders
Broken hand, preseason vs Rams, missed 0 games.
Crosby broke his right hand during a preseason game and underwent surgery to repair the fracture, missing a portion of training camp but was ready for Week 1.
2020 Las Vegas Raiders
No publicly reported injuries.
2021 Raiders
Broken right hand, left shoulder labrum tear, missed 0 games.
Despite not missing any games, Crosby broke the metal plate punching a ball out during practice in mid-October. This metal plate was originally inserted into his right hand in 2019 and was poking out. Crosby also noted that he tweaked his left shoulder a few times but did not miss anytime until the team found that he partially tore his labrum and required surgery.
2022 Raiders
No publicly reported injuries.
2023 Raiders
Left knee bursa sac injury, Week 2, missed 0 games.
Right thumb UCL tear, required surgery.
Crosby injured his left knee when he fell on it during the Week 2 contest against the Buffalo Bills. He battled bursitis in the area all season before he had to go to the hospital prior to Week 12 to get his knee drained. According to him, he had bacteria in his knee and needed it drained. He was doubtful heading into the game but played. He later had surgery after the season to address the area.
He also suffered a torn UCL ligament in his right thumb sometime during midseason and underwent surgery to repair that after the season.
2024 Raiders
Left High-Ankle sprain, Week 2, missed 1 game.
Left High-Ankle Sprain aggravation, Week 14, placed on IR, missed 4 games.
Crosby originally suffered a left high-ankle sprain back in Week 2 that was severe enough for him to miss his first career game. He played on the ankle all season before suffering a re-injury to the area that forced him to underwent surgery, ending his season.
Injury Analysis
Crosby has shown he can and will play through nearly any injury until he is forced to the sidelines even during awful seasons. Looking at his injury history, the concerns were minimal before digging into the details and finding how many injuries he played through that ultimately required surgery.
Looking at the injury concerns, the ones that are minor are the broken hands and thumb UCL tear. It’s incredible that he managed to break the plate that originally repaired the bone which required removal. His UCL tear is not an issue as he does not throw the ball and was repaired.
The biggest injuries are the shoulder labrum, knee surgery, and recent ankle surgery.
Going in order, he had the torn labrum repaired and he stated that the shoulder was stable even despite the tear but was repaired to ensure it would not worsen. There is a chance he could re-tear the labrum but he hasn’t been on the injury report since then. Even if he does, this is an injury he would play through yet again.
His knee surgery was due to the bursa sac which helps lubricate the joint became inflamed. This caused a condition called septic arthritis. The team likely drained his knee and got him on antibiotics to help manage the knee complaints until they could take care of it after the season. What likely happened was that he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to clean out the infected tissue, remove any fluid and clean out any potential issues to allow the bone and synovial capsule to heal properly. If this was not addressed quickly, the infection can cause joint deterioration leading to osteoarthritis. Fortunately, this is another issue that has not been on the injury report since the surgery.
Finally, his left ankle injury was the result of two high-ankle sprains which caused him five missed games. The second instance he injured the ankle was the result of a low chop block. This may have caused enough instability within the joint that he would have required tightrope surgery to stabilize the tibiofibular joint which articulates with the talus to make up the ankle joint.
Tightrope surgeries typically do incredibly well and have become more popular in recent years. In addition, he saw Dr. Robert Anderson who is one of the top foot/ankle surgeons in the country for NFL players. He was in the walking boot for about two months and on the scooter prior which suggests he may have had additional damage including the syndesmosis and/or deltoid ligament which carries a longer rehab timeline.
As long as his knee is in decent shape and his ankle is on track healing wise, then there aren’t major concerns about bringing him in via trade.
Final Thoughts
Maxx Crosby is in the next tier below the Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett tier but still very, very good. He comes in two years younger and slightly cheaper with two years left on his contract. He has had his share of injuries but none stand out as being a lingering concern.
His production is incredibly steady as noted by his 17-game averages:
QB Hurry: 17
QB Knockdown: 14
Sack: 10.6
Pressures: 42
Crosby should be the main target if Garrett is too expensive when it comes to trade assets but would hardly be a consolation prize. I would expect that the Raiders ask for the moon in terms of draft assets but will settle the longer they negotiate. If Crosby is brought in and works out production wise, there would be a strong chance that he would be worth another contract after that. He still appears to be an ascending talent rather than at his peak which the Bills could exploit.
None of his injuries scare me away from bringing in Crosby or giving him another contract. Even if he is injured, he would make every effort to be out there to play rather than shutting it down and collecting his money. It would take a major season-ending injury to make this deal not worth it. He also plays nearly every defensive snap with the Raiders so seeing one-third decline in his snap count in Buffalo’s defensive rotation will only keep him fresher for key moments.
His price would certainly go up but may still be affordable as the cap increases. The Bills need a game changer on the defensive line and Crosby could be a huge piece missing to help get the Bills over the hump.
Top Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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