Maxx Crosby has played his final snap of the 2024 season.
Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Crosby is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle. Crosby, who was already ruled out for Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, says he will be finished for the season with the surgery.
“As much as this pains me to write, I will not be playing the rest of the season. Second time this year getting rolled up on the same ankle and now it will require surgery,” Crosby wrote in a post on Instagram. “As much as it pains me to not go to war with my brothers and for the fans, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I have absolutely zero regrets with my process, my approach and my discipline to this game. Instead of sitting out for over a month with my first high ankle sprain @ Baltimore, I only missed 1 game and came back and fought all year because that’s who I am. If I can go, I can make a difference. Unfortunately, I got chopped blocked from the side and got another one but even worse this time vs. Tampa.
“Some people will say that I should just take my time and just relax and get ready for next year, I will never be that person. I have a team around me that made it possible for me to come back and still disrupt even though I truly wasn’t fully healthy all year. I will stand in the fire no matter what the circumstance because this game is my life. If I got a heartbeat, I expect to play for the fans that spend their hard earned money to watch me perform and wear my jersey every Sunday. I do it because it means everything to me and I will never change my approach to this game. Although I can’t understand why this is happening, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I can feel bad for myself and make excuses but I f*ckin refuse. I will get this surgery & be on a war path for greatness everyday and be back the best version of myself. I truly believe In (sic) my soul that I’m changing the game one snap at a time and changing the way this position is viewed. If you don’t believe me, if you have doubts, if you think I need to chill, GOOD… just WATCH ME.”
Crosby originally suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens and was playing through the injury. According to Adam Schefter, the 27-year-old Crosby will meet with a foot and ankle specialist next week and could potentially require two surgeries on his ankle as doctors believe the injury may be worse than initially thought.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Crosby has played in 12 of 13 games for the Raiders this season (only missing Week 4 against Cleveland). But his effectiveness has waned as he has logged just 7.5 sacks and 45 combined tackles on the year (after posting 14.5 sacks and 90 combined tackles in his All-Pro year last season).
At 2-11 on the year, the Raiders have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, which may explain the timing here. Though Crosby still has two more seasons left on his contract with the team, he was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season, and now his expected season-ending surgery adds another layer of uncertainty heading into 2025.
