LAS VEGAS — The Raiders rolled out the red carpet for Klint Kubiak on Tuesday, surrounding their new head coach with franchise legends ranging from Marcus Allen to Howie Long, and a star-studded podium featuring multiple Super Bowl rings and enough Hall of Fame jackets to fill a walk-in closet.
In front of Kubiak sat a contingent of current Raiders that included young running back Ashton Jeanty.
Every one of them was eager to hear from a new boss just a few days removed fromhelping lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship.And his plans for taking the Raiders to similar heights.
But it was just as conspicuous who wasn’t in the auditorium as who was there. Namely,Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
The prolific pass rusher was lurking somewhere in the Raiders facility on Tuesday and even joined Kubiak for a cup of coffee before the club introduced him as its new boss.
“Loved talking ball with him and look forward to continuing those conversations,” Kubiak said. “He was the first one in here this morning working out, so that fired me up.”
But once the cameras began rolling, Crosby remained behind the scenes. Only he knows if it was out of respect for Kubiak’s big moment or, perhaps, a statement about his future with the Raiders.
The latter can’t be ruled out after reports surfaced during Super Bowl week that Crosby isn’t keen on yet another Raiders rebuild, and could have his heart set on forcing a trade to a team better positioned to maximize the peak years he has left.
Crosby is under contract through the 2029 season, although it’s essentially a two-year deal for roughly $60 million guaranteed for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Not only is it an easy contract to trade — or assume if you are a team interested in trading for him — multiple league sources have told The Post that Crosby’s market is robust enough to expect the price tag for him to include at least two first-round picks.
Yes, he is coming off a season that was cut short by a knee injury that sidelined him for the last two games and required subsequent meniscus surgery. But all signs point to Crosby being ready to go in time for next season.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
