Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said on Tuesday that it “means a lot” to be selected for his fifth straight Pro Bowl because the vote is done by fans, players and coaches, and he added that it “just makes me hungrier” to remain among the top players in the league moving into 2026.
While Crosby has remained at the top of the heap, the Raiders have stayed at the bottom of the barrel. The 2-13 team will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year and the sixth time in Crosby’s seven seasons. One upside to that could be landing the first overall pick in the draft and getting the kind of franchise quarterback who could change the team’s fortunes for years to come.
Losing to the Giants this weekend would help that effort, but Crosby was emphatic about such considerations being nowhere on his mind as the season nears its conclusion.
“I don’t give a s—t about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby said in a locker room media session. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. That’s what I focus on every day, and being a great leader and being an influence and being that guy on a consistent basis for my team. . . . That’s got nothing to do with me. I’ve learned my lesson in the past. You can’t control everything. That’s not my job description. My job is to be the best in the world at what I do. And that’s wrecking the game.”
Crosby’s livelihood demands that approach to the game, so no one would expect to hear anything else. Those who root for him and the Raiders have a different view about landing a player who could help Crosby play games that matter to more than the draft order.
