Maxx Robert Crosby (born August 22, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

and was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Early life

The spelling of Maxx Crosby's first name comes from how large (11 pounds, 9 ounces) he was at birth. He attended

Colleyville Heritage High School Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and serves freshmen through senior students i ...

in Colleyville, Texas. Crosby's mother, Vera Crosby, is of Serbian origin. Asked about his Serbian roots on his Instagram account, Crosby replied with , Serbian for "we are the best,

e are E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...

the strongest". He added an eagle emoticon, the Eagles being a nickname both for the Serbian national sports teams, and for their supporter groups.

College career

Crosby played college football at

from 2015 to 2018. Eastern Michigan was the only college football program to give Crosby an offer. Crosby was selected First-team All- MAC in 2017 and 2018.

Professional career

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

2019 season

left, 200px, Crosby with the Oakland Raiders in his rookie season. Crosby was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Crosby made his debut in week 1 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. In the game, Crosby made 6 tackles in the 24–16 win. In week 5 against the Chicago Bears, Crosby recorded his first career sack on Chase Daniel in the 24–21 win. In week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Crosby sacked Ryan Finley four times, one of which was a strip sack that was recovered by teammate Maurice Hurst Jr. in the 17–10 win, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Crosby's four sacks in a game was the most sacks made by a Raider in a single game since 2015, when Khalil Mack recorded five sacks in a game against the

. In week 17 against the Denver Broncos, Crosby sacked fellow rookie

Drew Lock Andrew Stephen Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round ...

1.5 times during the 15–16 loss.

2020 season

Crosby was placed on the reserve/

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list by the team on August 6, 2020, and was activated nine days later. In Week 3 against the New England Patriots, Crosby recorded his first two sacks of the season on

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...

during the 36–20 loss. In Week 5 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

, Crosby recorded his first sack on reigning Super Bowl MVP

Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played c ...

during the 40–32 win. In Week 17 against the

, Crosby sacked

once and blocked two field goals during the 32–31 win. Crosby was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

2021 season

In Week 1, Crosby recorded six tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss in a 33–27 win over the Ravens, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 6, Crosby recorded six tackles, 12 pressures, and a season-high three sacks in a 34–24 win over the Denver Broncos. In week 18, Crosby again won AFC Defensive Player of the Week, registering two sacks, six tackles, three tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, 11 pressures, and three passes defended against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

. Crosby would set a number of personal bests in the 2021 season, including personal bests in passes defended (7) and quarterback hits (30), more than doubling his career totals up to that point in both statistics, and leading the Raiders in the latter statistic. Crosby also set personal bests for solo tackles, assisted tackles, and combined tackles. Crosby was named second-team All-Pro by the AP.

2022 season

On March 11, 2022, the two-year anniversary of becoming sober, Crosby signed a four-year, $98.98 million contract extension with the Raiders.

Personal life

In March 2020, Crosby checked into rehab for

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

. In February 2022, Crosby got engaged to Rachel Washburn, and they welcomed their first child on October 13, 2022.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Eastern Michigan Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosby, Maxx 1997 births Living people American people of Serbian descent American football defensive ends Eastern Michigan Eagles football players Las Vegas Raiders players Oakland Raiders players People from Colleyville, Texas People from Rochester, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex American Conference Pro Bowl players