The New England Patriots handled one premier pass rusher in Buffalo.
Now Mike Vrabel is warning that Maxx Crosby presents an even less predictable problem.
Vrabel was asked Wednesday whether New England should expect Crosby to move around the Las Vegas Raiders defensive front, much like Buffalo did with Greg Rousseau in the Patriots’ win over the Bills.
His answer left slim doubt about how much freedom Crosby has earned.
“Maxx will go wherever he wants to go, and he will do whatever he wants to do, and it’s worked out really, really well,” Vrabel said, per the Patriots’ official transcript. “I have a lot of respect for Maxx Crosby as a person and also as a player. So, we’ll have to know where he is on every single play.”
That creates a big-time trial for a Patriots offensive line that Vrabel acknowledged had to deal with pressure against Buffalo. New England survived it, in part because Drake Maye used his mobility to escape trouble and extend plays.
Crosby won’t necessarily stress the protection plan in the same way.
Patriots Have to Account for Crosby Everywhere
Vrabel’s comments point toward a matchup that will require more than assigning one offensive tackle to Crosby for an afternoon.
The five-time Pro Bowler has the freedom to hunt matchups, while Las Vegas has surrounded him with enough talent to make sliding protection his direction a potentially costly solution.
“They’ve really put together a cohesive group,” Vrabel said. “But they’ve been able to supplement that with the guys off the football with Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, and obviously continue to add guys inside, and then also Kwity Paye.”
Vrabel also praised former Patriot Adam Butler, Jeremy Chinn and Malcolm Koonce as parts of that defensive group.
The production backs up Vrabel’s concern. Pro Football Focus credits Crosby with 25 pressures through four games, fourth among qualifying edge defenders, along with a 90.0 overall grade.
The Raiders’ official statistics list Crosby with two sacks and a forced fumble through four games. He recorded 1.5 sacks in Las Vegas’ season-opening victory over Miami and added a half-sack against Kansas City in Week 4.
Raiders Built Around $106.5 Million Pass Rusher
Crosby has long had the reputation Vrabel described.
Las Vegas signed him to a three-year, $106.5 million extension in March 2025, including $91.5 million guaranteed. The deal briefly made Crosby the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
His overall career explains the investment. The Raiders noted this offseason that Crosby produced 28 tackles for loss in 2025, second in the NFL, and led all edge rushers in run-stop win rate.
New England also has to contend with a defense that can put heat on the quarterback without asking Crosby to win every rush himself.
Vrabel highlighted Las Vegas’ ability to change fronts, send defenders from the second level and disguise which players are actually attacking the quarterback.
“They do a great job with their games; they do a great job with pressure,” Vrabel said.
That puts the burden on Maye and the Patriots’ protection unit to identify where Crosby is before the snap — then determine what’s coming around him.
Vrabel made the first part of that assignment sound mandatory.
“We will have to know where Maxx is,” he said, “certainly, to start every play.”
Patriots Put on Notice Over $106.5 Million Raiders Pass Rusher