In seven seasons, Crosby has played in one playoff game – a 2021 Wild Card Round loss to Cincinnati. That season was the only time in Crosby’s career that the Raiders were over .500. In the past two campaigns combined, they’ve won seven games and lost 27.
Asked point-blank by Gray what he wants, Crosby said playing meaningful games is his priority, but noted that he also wanted space to focus solely on football, not all the distractions that come with losing.
“I have a lot of goals, but I do want to win,” he said. “That’s all that matters ultimately, but I want to be in a place where mentally I’m 100 percent myself. I just want to focus on football. That’s truly what I want. People that know me know I’m about the work and the football. I just want to play football and be left the f— alone. Period. And the people that don’t understand that don’t f—— know me. People can say whatever they want. … But truly, I don’t give a f— besides playing football and winning football games. I give my whole life to this sport every single day.
“I’m here every morning. My alarm goes off at 4:55, and I’m f—— driving 35 minutes across town in an empty, dark building, doing the same thing every single day, trying to help my team, trying to help myself. People can talk all they want. People go on Twitter. I don’t even see half the s—. Like I said, half of it is news to me. I just care about playing football.”
Until there is a resolution, Crosby’s status will hover over the offseason. Players of his caliber can have season-altering consequences if they’re moved to a contender. A trade could bring Vegas a windfall needed to help plug numerous holes on the roster. However, it’s unlikely any player added would be as impactful as Crosby, especially in the short term.
New coach Klint Kubiak expressed a desire to keep the star pass rusher in Vegas. Perhaps the new Super Bowl-winning coach can convince Crosby that the Raiders can be turned around quickly. Barring that, Crosby will take the Matthew Stafford route, as a star player on a perennial loser who is finally sick of rebuilds and forces his way out.
