Maxx Crosby is not happy

[onmyown]

15 hours ago, cranky said:

Apparently the Raiders are in tank mode and have informed Crosby he will not be playing for the remainder of the season and he is NOT happy. 

"Via Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Raiders told Crosby they plan to shut him down for the final two games of a lost season that is creeping toward enough losses to secure the top spot in every round of the 2026 draft. Per Glazer, Crosby “vehemently disagreed” with the proposal — and has “left the building.”

And apparently his contract is set up to easily be traded.

"Maxx Crosby contract is extremely tradable. Only $5M dead on the Raiders side. Inheriting team has $30M guaranteed in 2026, which is no problem. The rest of the contract is just $28M team options."

Now I know it is a long shot BUT, if he were to request a trade, would he be worth pursuing?

 

The irony is the Panthers could’ve drafted him instead of Will Grier (Zod’s franchise QB), but Hurney and ticket sales were more important. That draft thread had me raked for saying we should’ve got him.

I’d take him of course but depends on price. This Dline needs help bad.

[kungfoodude]

25 minutes ago, PantherChris said:

No "one player" is true but I do think the defense is maybe two more elite players away from being a dominant defense, namely at LB and edge rusher, our secondary has performed very well considering the complete lack of a pass rush.... and our 3 linemen are pretty dang good, an elite pass rusher would push this defense into the top ten imo but they will still be inconsistent vs the run and vs TEs until inside LB is upgraded the last 5 years really show you how spoiled we have been at LB until then.

I think we are a pretty good ways from being "dominant." I think two more elite players gets is to being above average and borderline top 10-12.

Truthfully if we STAY in a 3-4 the way Evero envisions it, we probably need another good starter alongside DB and A. Robinson, we need at LEAST one elite EDGE and probably an upgrade over every single other EDGE on our roster across from him. We need 100% new ILB's of NFL starting caliber or better. Ideally one truly elite guy. We likely need a big upgrade at S across from Moehrig. I think CB is very serviceable. Maybe an upgrade at either #2 CB or nickel(can move Jackson around). That is what it likely takes to be a "dominant" defense(top 5).

Again, after really hurting this team for so long by trading draft capital away, it really has to be the right situation and price for me to want to jump into more of that. Doesn't mean that in 4-5 years if this roster keep improving and we are a regular playoff participant I wouldn't change my mind. That's just not the spot I view us in at the moment.

[kungfoodude]

5 minutes ago, cranky said:

To play devils' advocate for a minute, I'm not sure ANY big time DE signing is worth it long term. 

The Giants signed Burns to a large contract and have gone 5-26 since. And yes I understand there are many variables that go into a win/loss number, the capital expended on him has been wasted so far.

The Packers signed/traded for Parsons and they look to have the same record as last year and the defense actually locks a little weaker. I understand you get these players for the playoffs but still, so far, again, it has not been a wise allocation of capital.

The Bengals brought in Hendrickson in 2021? and other than 2022, their defense has been in the bottom of the league ( all the while Burrows has been getting killed because of a bad o-line).

So yeah, going with what you said about bringing in young, afforable, players does seem the best way to go.

It's not nearly as fun or sexy though.

 

 

I think the player matters a lot(in regards to price specifically). Parsons will likely end up being worth the price because he is unquestionably elite. Burns obviously hasn't been until this year because he isn't a consistently elite pass rusher. He is too easy to shut down with just a single blocker. 

Guys like Parsons and Garrett that you have to plan your entire blocking scheme around make everyone on the defense better. Truth be told, that isn't Burns on his current line, it's Dexter Lawrence.

But, as you pointed out, situations still matter. Joe Burrow may be a truly elite QB but that doesn't matter a lot when he can't stay healthy or the overall team isn't good. Ask Matt Stafford about that in Detroit.

 

The Panthers aren't in a position to be liquidating the extremely valuable draft picks we have. Our roster is still a bottom 5 overall NFL roster.

[Joe Bear]

14 hours ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

i think the raiders could use a country boy WR that likes eating steamed raccoon testicles

They’re not that bad if you put enough Old Bay on them.  

[kungfoodude]

1 hour ago, ForJimmy said:

If we are trading for an edge, I’d prefer Thibs, younger and cheaper to acquire. His sacks are down but his win rate is up. He is basically pressuring the QB into sacks for Burns. We would get the 5th year and then have to pay him. Thibs, Scourton, and DB on the line would be solid. You would have Princely, Pat Jones, and Gipson rotating in on the edges for some depth/fresh legs. Throw in a nice young ILB like Syles or Allen or a FA and our defense would be so much better. 

That's a potential guy to look at. I will say that it would have to be at a lower price than we gave up for Burns, probably a 4th or lower. Reason being he hasn't been anywhere near as productive as Burns and 2026 is the last year of his deal. So even if he flashes in 2026(in the ever dangerous contract year), you may end up in a situation having to shell out a much bigger contract to retain him.

That said, should be a day 1 starter in 2026 on this roster.

Edited 3 hours ago by kungfoodude

[pantherclaw]

18 minutes ago, cranky said:

To play devils' advocate for a minute, I'm not sure ANY big time DE signing is worth it long term. 

The Giants signed Burns to a large contract and have gone 5-26 since. And yes I understand there are many variables that go into a win/loss number, the capital expended on him has been wasted so far.

The Packers signed/traded for Parsons and they look to have the same record as last year and the defense actually locks a little weaker. I understand you get these players for the playoffs but still, so far, again, it has not been a wise allocation of capital.

The Bengals brought in Hendrickson in 2021? and other than 2022, their defense has been in the bottom of the league ( all the while Burrows has been getting killed because of a bad o-line).

So yeah, going with what you said about bringing in young, afforable, players does seem the best way to go.

It's not nearly as fun or sexy though.

 

 

This is exactly why we continue to field a pass rushing attack that fails to  shows any consistency. 

Edited 2 hours ago by pantherclaw

[pantherclaw]

I would be surprised, not shocked,  if Crosby didn't demand new money with any move to a new team.  

He would most likely get new guaranteed/bonus money regardless whether his current contract remains, or gets extended. 

[Donald LaFell]

14 hours ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

i think the raiders could use a country boy WR that likes eating steamed raccoon testicles

Steaming is for city folks! Gotta be slow cooked, smoked or fried. 

[kungfoodude]

9 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

This is exactly why we continue to field a pass rushing attack that fails to  shows any consistency. 

Well, of the top 10 NFL defenses in terms of NFL sacks, there are only 8 of the top 20 paid DE/EDGE players on their team.

Of those, only 4 are also in the top 20 of individual sacks in 2025.

 

Not trying to say that you shouldn't spend money on an elite pass rusher but it doesn't necessarily lead to elite pass rushing results. After all, we literally had an "elite" pass rusher in Brian Burns and the team only finished in the top 16 in sacks twice during his career. 2nd in 2019(his rookie year) and 15th in 2021.

[kungfoodude]

11 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

I would be surprised, not shocked,  if Crosby didn't demand new money with any move to a new team.  

He would most likely get new guaranteed/bonus money regardless whether his current contract remains, or gets extended. 

He may ask for a contract conversion but I don't think he will be in a strong negotiating position. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

2 hours ago, onmyown said:

The irony is the Panthers could’ve drafted him instead of Will Grier (Zod’s franchise QB), but Hurney and ticket sales were more important. That draft thread had me raked for saying we should’ve got him.

I’d take him of course but depends on price. This Dline needs help bad.

Will Grier was the worst telegraphed draft pick of all time for us. It was common knowledge we were taking him at 100 if he was available for at least a month. 

[pantherclaw]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

Well, of the top 10 NFL defenses in terms of NFL sacks, there are only 8 of the top 20 paid DE/EDGE players on their team.

Of those, only 4 are also in the top 20 of individual sacks in 2025.

 

Not trying to say that you shouldn't spend money on an elite pass rusher but it doesn't necessarily lead to elite pass rushing results. After all, we literally had an "elite" pass rusher in Brian Burns and the team only finished in the top 16 in sacks twice during his career. 2nd in 2019(his rookie year) and 15th in 2021.

Need a proven pass rusher,  that isn't on a rookie contract. Spin that however you want to. 

[pantherclaw]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

He may ask for a contract conversion but I don't think he will be in a strong negotiating position. 

When there are as many teams needing his services? 

[kungfoodude]

39 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

Need a proven pass rusher,  that isn't on a rookie contract. Spin that however you want to. 

I don't see why being on a rookie contract impacts how good someone is. That's a very confusing angle.

39 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

When there are as many teams needing his services? 

Keep in mind he is not a free agent. He is on a freshly inked mega-deal. Could he try to leverage a change that converts base salary to a guarenteed bonus? Yes but that typically happens during a period where the team is trying to create cap space. So, that might only happen in that case and I would assume would be piggy backed on an extension of some sort(even if only void years).

I am just saying he isn't going to show up having much in the way of leverage unless he is being utilized to clear cap room.