Exclusive: Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Opens Up on Relationship with Tom Brady and Key Lessons

Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby wants to win more than anything else.

The 28-year-old defensive end has established himself as one of the top defensive ends in the NFL, racking up five Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro selections during his seven-season career with the Raiders. However, he has little winning to show for it, going to the playoffs just once in his NFL career.

To top things off, the Raiders just went 3-14, their worst record during Crosby's tenure in the NFL. Since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick, Crosby has the fifth-most sacks in the NFL. However, Las Vegas has gone just 46-71, with just one winning season in that time frame.

Crosby's name has been involved in trade rumors as of late, but neither the organization nor the star pass rusher have committed to the idea of him leaving town. 

Luckily for Crosby, he's playing for the greatest winner of all time in seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

"Yeah, me and Tom ever since he kind of came into the picture, we've had a good relationship," said Crosby in a one-on-one interview. 

"Me and him talk from time to time. It's not all the time. I don't see him much, but we've been connected through phone calls or in person once in a while. He's a Fanatics guy as well, so I got to meet him before. I'm a Fanatics guy. We have that connection with (Michael) Rubin and that team as well."

"Tom is about all the right things," Crosby continued to say of Brady. 

"He's a winner. He's proven as the all-time greatest quarterback to ever do it. Got a lot of respect for what he's done and accomplished."

Maxx Crosby outlines difference between stars and superstars

Brady was approved as a minority owner of the Raiders during the 2024 season. 

However, that hasn't translated to winning. The team went through a brief era after hiring Super Bowl champion head coach Pete Carroll and acquiring veteran quarterback Geno Smith. That experiment failed as they went 3-14 last season.

They moved on from Carroll and hired head coach Klint Kubiak, who just won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.

Crosby said one of the biggest things he's learned from Brady is that there's a difference between champions and stars. 

"I think the biggest thing that stuck with me the most is just about there's a difference between champions and stars," said Crosby. 

"There's people who are star players, but they're not good teammates. They're all about themselves. That's all they care about. That's just what they are. They're really good players. They're gonna have successful careers. But champions are forever, and they live on forever."

"You can be a great player, but also be a great teammate, and that's what being a champion is," Crosby continued to say of what he's learned from Brady. "You can't do it alone. Tom couldn't do it alone. He would tell you that himself. I can't do it alone. You got to have as many guys kind of on that type of energy and time."

Crosby: 'Football takes all 11 on each side to get to it'

Crosby reiterated repeatedly throughout the interview that he's all about winning. He went into further detail about what being a "foxhole guy" is all about and how he aims to win a championship every year.

"It's not about talking," said Crosby. 

"It's not about saying, 'Yeah, man, I'm gonna come in and be that.' I've seen a million guys talk a lot of s***, but when it really comes down to it, they're not really foxhole guys. I know I'm a foxhole guy, and I've been. I've had teammates who are foxhole guys, but it's about having the whole organization on the same page." 

"It's not basketball, where you have two-three superstars to say, 'Get out the way. I'm gonna go win the game,'" Crosby continued. 

"Football takes all 11 on each side to get to it. That's what you're constantly chasing every single year is championships."