The Las Vegas Raiders are beginning a bit of a new chapter once again. Antonio Pierce is the new head coach after an impressive run as the interim last year. The Raiders also are going to peg either Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew as the starting quarterback.
Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby seems excited about the new direction of the team and just wants to bring a title home to the franchise. Recently, Crosby issued some comments and mentioned LeBron James while discussing his choice to stay and take the hard road, per Christian Gonzales of NFL.com.
“The guys who inspire me are the Kobes (Bryant) and the (Michael) Jordans; the guys that stayed at the same place and won in the same place. No offense to the guys like LeBron and those dudes — I won't give them some heat, but they took the easier road traveled and that's not the way I look at it.”
It's an interesting take from Crosby, who spoke of LeBron James taking the easy road, which is essentially saying he went to the Miami Heat and former the Big 3 to win the NBA title. However, LeBron did go to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers and won titles there too.
Crosby could easily sign elsewhere and compete for a Super Bowl, but he would rather go through the process.
“Going through the ups and downs and the hardships is going to make it that much sweeter when I do win a Super Bowl. So, I plan on being here for a very long time and I plan on winning here. You know when I signed that contract, I didn't have any type of, you know, thought of leaving or idea of leaving. I feel like I'm going to be a Raider for life.”
A look inside Raiders' 2024 expectations
The last time the Raiders made the playoffs was the 2021 campaign, although they lost in the Wild Card Round to the Cincinnati Bengals. They went 6-11 and then 8-9 in 2023, but there is a lot of hope after Pierce ignited excitement in the fanbase and team following Jodh McDaniels' firing.
As for Crosby, he has become a household name since being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has been named to the Second-Team All-Pro twice and made the Pro Bowl three times.
However, the road might be difficult for Crosby and the Raiders in 2024. Josh Jacobs left for the Green Bay Packers, and either Minshew or O'Connell is set to be the team's QB1. On top of that, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl again and the Los Angeles Chargers figure to be better with Jim Harbaugh taking over as the head coach.
The Raiders did bring in all of Michael Gallup, Alexander Mattison, and Christian Wilkins in the offseason. With Pierce getting the job, it sure should signal an exciting change of pace in Las Vegas after a tough head coaching run.
Either way, Crosby just wants to win in Vegas and go through the ups and downs.
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