Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton couldn’t hold back his joy after learning that the Las Vegas Raiders have traded star pass rusher Maxx Crosby out of the division.
Payton has always admired Crosby and gave him glowing praise back in 2023, saying, “He’s really flexible. He’s a tremendous worker, athletic. He’s got one of those motors that doesn’t stop, and he can get to your edge quickly. His ability to bend and then his stamina are things that stand out.”
The Broncos were one of Crosby’s favorite teams to play against, racking up 16.5 sacks in 14 career games against Denver.
The trade cannot be processed until next week, but it is in place. And Crosby is expected to be a Raven with two 1s back to Vegas.
Sean Payton Gleaming with Joy Now That Maxx Crosby is Gone
NFL Jay Glazer revealed that Payton called him after hearing about the trade saying he was “soooo fired up” and even offering to pay a private plane one-way flight to Baltimore for Crosby.
He also had this message from Payton to Crosby: “You are an inspiration to watch and compete against.” Now, the Raiders will have to find another star pass rusher with the trade sending Crosby to the Ravens.
Back in early February, Glazer was the one who made a stunning claim that he believed Crosby’s time with the Raiders was done.
“I do. So the day it [shutting down Crosby] happened, no less than 20 teams called me, and asked, ‘Is this real? Can we get him?'” He also added that, “They [Raiders] don’t want to do it. But he [Crosby] was just like, ‘I’m not going through another rebuild.'”
Fast forward to March 6th, and Crosby was traded for two first-round picks.
“Time to Have Different Futures”
In a recent article by Vic Tafur of The Athletic, he revealed that Raiders’ owner Mark Davis knew Crosby’s time was over, and went to his house two months ago to have a long discussion about Crosby’s issues with the Raiders.
“They shared some laughs about the past and then agreed that maybe it was time to have different futures,” Tafur wrote.
However, Crosby, having the utmost respect for Davis and the Raiders’ organization, chose not to request a trade publicly or post ominous messages on social media.
“And there’s a real chance that long-armed Crosby has only scratched the surface of his talent,” Tafur added. “The five-time Pro Bowler had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season. He recorded 69.5 career sacks for the Raiders while getting very little help from teammates next to him or behind him. Big free-agent signings Chandler Jones (2022) and Christian Wilkins (2024) flamed out off the field, and first-round pick Tyree Wilson (2023) has been a bust, so Crosby has often been double-teamed — with a tight end or running back coming in to chip him as well. And he still gets by them.”
Now, Crosby has a new home, the Raiders look to rebuild off the draft capital from the trade, and Payton is a happy coach in Denver.
Raiders’ Rival HC Sends Message Amid Maxx Crosby Trade News