This past few months have been a roller coaster ride for the Las Vegas Raiders' DE Maxx Crosby.

In March, the Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens had agreed on a trade that would have sent Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

Although that deal didn’t go through after Crosby failed his physical, he displayed full commitment to Las Vegas through social media. Moreover, the veteran was happy when another veteran QB, Kirk Cousins, joined their camp.

Crosby recently spoke about meeting Cousins.

"Ran into Kirko Bangs,” he said on his The Rush podcast. “It was dope, we had a great conversation, he was awesome, definitely fired me up. Dude has done a lot of great things in this league, adding him to the squad is gonna help a lot, we got more pieces coming as well.”

It says a lot about where the Raiders see themselves right now. Cousins was released earlier this year by the Falcons and then signed to a new deal in Las Vegas.

Last season, the Raiders were the league's worst offensive team. They only scored 241 points and covered 245.2 yards per game.

QB Geno Smith clearly wasn't up to the mark, scoring 19 touchdowns for 3,025 yards, while throwing 17 interceptions and getting sacked 55 times.

Having a veteran like Kirk Cousins in the Raiders was certainly a positive change in Crosby's opinion. And why not? He has won four Pro Bowl honors and has over a decade of experience, scoring 298 touchdowns for 44,700 yards.

Well, this isn't the first time a franchise has turned to a veteran to stabilize the ship. Last year, the Steelers signed legendary Aaron Rodgers as their QB1 and reached the playoffs.

Surely, Crosby is happy to have Cousins in the Raiders, but what did the veteran say about the DE?

Kirk Cousins Was All Praise About Maxx Crosby

Cousins has already seen enough to understand what Crosby brings.

For quarterbacks, players like him are not just another name on the defensive sheet. They’re the ones you keep track of on every snap.

“There is only a handful of guys, maybe a half dozen, that truly you are thinking about as you prepare for them the entire week,” Cousins said. “Every play, saying ‘what are we doing about this guy…’ Maxx is one of those guys.”

Last season, Crosby was easily the man leading the Raiders from the front. In 15 games, he scored 45 solo tackles, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception.

Cousins went a step further, talking about the impact.

“You are all week long, wondering how he could wreck the game on this play. Another guy, that is energy, his motor, his example, I think it is really impactful to the whole organization, to the whole locker room.”

That kind of respect usually comes from facing someone, not sharing a locker room with.

Now, Cousins is no longer preparing against Crosby but playing alongside him. With the draft still to come, the bigger picture around this team is still taking shape.

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Written by

Rudra Dubey

Edited by

Kalp Thaker