‘He probably could have squeezed them for more’ – Maxx Crosby’s $149M deal with Raiders named NFL’s most team-friendly EDGE contract as Pro Bowler gives Las Vegas rare cap flexibility through 2026 - suong

After Cleveland Browns EDGE Myles Garrett reset the market with a new deal this offseason, it is human nature to revisit the other contracts at the position to compare how they impact their respective teams moving forward.

Well, one NFL writer believes that Maxx Crosby’s deal with the Las Vegas Raiders is one of the most team-friendly deals at the EDGE position entering the 2025 NFL season.

Maxx Crosby’s Contract with Raiders Named Among Most Team-Friendly Deal in the NFL

Dan Graziano of ESPN recently revealed the nuance of a handful of noteworthy NFL contracts and named Maxx Crosby’s deal with the Las Vegas Raiders as the most team-friendly contract in the league at the EDGE position.

Graziano wrote, “Crosby had two years left on his previous contract when he and the Raiders agreed on a new deal this past spring. The new deal effectively extended his contract through 2029 but also made some alterations to the final two years of his previous deal. His previous extension (signed in the spring of 2024) included $23.118 million in salary and bonuses for 2025 and $19.722 million in salary and bonuses for 2026, none of which was guaranteed. The new deal guarantees him $32.5 million in 2025 and $30 million in 2026.”

Crosby has emerged as one of the premier pass rushers in the league over the last three years with 34.5 sacks and 212 total tackles since 2022, which makes him worth every penny considering he is just 27 years old.

Graziano added, “The deal is team-friendly because the Raiders (who don’t put signing bonuses in their veteran deals and therefore don’t have dead-money problems when they decide to release a player) aren’t committed to Crosby beyond 2026.”

Did Maxx Crosby Do the Raiders a Big Favor by Signing This Deal?

A team-friendly deal is crucial to an organization being able to fill out the remainder of the roster with starting caliber players or putting money away to be able to sign other stars on the team to lucrative long-term deals.

“Crosby is now scheduled to make $149.34 million over the next five years — an average of $29.868 million, which would rank him fifth among edge rushers. But if you take just the new money — the $106.5 million — and divide it by the three new years, that’s an average of $35.5 million per year,” Graziano detailed.

The money the Raiders are potentially saving with this Crosby extension should help the team sign players like Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty to monster market value deals down the road.

Graziano concluded, “Crosby is only 27 years old. And given his production (59.5 sacks over six seasons), he probably could have squeezed the Raiders for more. He loves being a Raider and has said he wanted to structure his deal to help the organization manage its cap around him. That’s to the team’s benefit, which is why this qualifies as a team-friendly deal.”

Crosby is still firmly in the middle of his prime, which makes this contract one that helps the Raiders in a multitude of ways.

It will be interesting to see how the front office approaches upcoming offseasons in free agency with how much flexibility Crosby has given them with this extension, but another extension could be in order over the next few years if Crosby continues to be in the conversation for the best edge player in the league.