After a stellar rookie season with 10 sacks, Maxx Crosby looked like a star, but only he knew what he was playing through. After playing through a torn labrum and a broken hand, he also decided to stay away from his vices and even checked into rehab in March 2020, only to receive criticism from fans later on.
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“I was playing with a torn labrum, playing with a broken hand, trying to stay sober, no fans in the crowd. I’m getting murdered by my own fan base,” Crosby revealed on August 3 on the Ball in the Family Podcast. “I still didn’t pick up a drink or smoke…that was like the biggest year that changed my life… I was at my lowest of lows.”
Crosby’s sophomore season saw a noticeable dip from his rookie campaign. He started 16 games, but finished with three fewer sacks and eight fewer tackles, while his pass deflections dropped from four to one. He also went from four forced fumbles to none.
But even then, those were far from poor stats. Most notably, though, his PFF pass-rushing grade dropped to 58.2 in that year as well.
Despite that, the biggest sign of his resilience was missing just one regular-season game with a significant shoulder labrum tear and a broken hand plate, yet he never appeared on the official injury report.
At the same time, he was consciously trying to stay sober and kept much of what he was going through private. Fans only learned more after he revealed his January 2021 surgeries and rehab, with a projected four-month recovery.
Crosby is still on the Raiders roster, but moments like those even back then could offer a glimpse into why he wanted to be traded away earlier this offseason.
Though the Baltimore Ravens trade proved to be a bust due to medical concerns, that admission would put fans on notice about his future with the team.
Another instance of Crosby being unhappy with the franchise was last year, when the team didn’t play him in the final two regular-season games. His knee injury was a concern for the team, but he made it evident that he wanted to keep playing.
A major reason for that could have also been the impressive season he had been having, with 10 sacks, six passes deflected, and 73 total tackles. Two more games could have seen those numbers go even higher.
While Crosby’s comments look back at 2020, fans would be concerned after a failed trade this year as well. For now, though, he remains with the franchise that will want to make a push for playoff football after last playing in 2021.