Good news: Raiders extend the contract of some key players with shocking conditions….

Henderson, Nevada According to league sources who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday, the Las Vegas Raiders are handing three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby a $6 million increase for the 2017 season without adding any more years to his current contract.

According to the sources, the Raiders are also investing an extra $1.2 million for the 2025 campaign.

Having been selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Eastern Michigan, Crosby has emerged as the team’s face after agreeing to a four-year agreement on March 11, 2022, worth $95 million in new money and more than $53 million in guarantees.

Since then, he has amassed 27.0 of his 52.0 career sacks, placed second on the All-Pro team last season after recording a career-high 14.5 sacks, and twice placed in the top six of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. Following the 2021 season, Crosby was selected to the All-Pro second team, and in 2022, he won the Pro Bowl defensive MVP award.

Crosby remarked, “I don’t know whether my rookie year seems like 20 years ago or two days ago,” at the April kickoff of Las Vegas’ offseason exercise regimen. “I think it’s absurd.

Indeed, it has been a boon. It’s been a really difficult journey, but ultimately, all that matters to me is winning—winning for this company. Being a Raider is something unique to me, and I put my all into it. I want to be the greatest teammate and leader I can be every day. I have genuine relationships with everyone, even the janitor and the owner. There’s a reason I come here every day—it’s like family. It’s thrilling to get things going again since not many teams function as we do. We just need to translate that into victory.”

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Crosby, who turns 27 in August, was scheduled to receive base salaries of $19.01 million, $21.038 million, and $21.038 million over the following three seasons.

It is uncommon for a team to increase a player’s salary without extending their contract by any more years. Crosby has received praise for always showing up at the team’s offseason training facility.

Coach Antonio Pierce stated, “By example, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day,” during the owners meetings in March. “[Crosby] comes in ready to work every day. Thus, if you have individuals like that in your building, either through their words or their actions, you have a good environment and culture.”

After spending a portion of the offseason in recovery after his rookie season, Crosby has also been an inspiration to others by opening up about his struggle with sobriety.

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Three fascinating positional fights for the Raiders in 2024

examining the Raiders’ roster as OTAs get underway.

Now that training camp officially begins in late July, we’re getting our first looks at what the Raiders might look like. It’s officially OTAs szn. As of now, all that’s available are 25-second clips of players running around in shorts and t-shirts, but any fan of the NFL will tell you that they’ll settle for anything, practically anything.

Though there are always positions where competition exists, the majority of the Raiders’ roster feels rather solid at this time. They also need to provide us with something because those contests are what spark fan discussions for the ensuing three months. Here are what appear to be the three main, fascinating roster battles that will take place in Vegas this summer.

Three fascinating positional fights for the Raiders in 2024
1. The quarterback
In theory, I’m not incorrect. Garnder Minshew was expected to compete with current starter Aidan O’Connell, who played a significant portion of last year’s snaps, for the starting job when the organization signed him to a two-year contract back in March. For the time being, it’s technically a competition, but it looks like they’ll probably give the guy they’re paying over $20 million the first and best shot to seize the position. However, it would be incredibly Tom Telesco-like to sign a quarterback to the second-largest contract of the offseason just to have him serve as a backup to a fourth-round pick in the following year. Ahead, fun times!

2. The cornerback
As of right now, Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, and Jakorian Bennett are the Raiders’ cornerback depth chart, at least according to Pro Football Focus. This season, two of those three players most likely won’t pose a problem for Antonio Pierce’s defense. The other, well, that’s a whole other story. This blog has extensively covered Bennett’s difficult debut year, so we won’t add salt to the wound. He will, however, almost definitely be involved in a significant camp conflict this year, given that the team selected two corners with draft picks who are reportedly ready to start on Day 1. Having a strong competition makes sense given the current inferior depth of the cornerback group; it’s just a little intimidating with Patrick Mahomes in the mix.

3. The tight end
Has there been increased discussion regarding any Raiders position throughout the offseason? And a QB was signed! The tight end competition is more about playing time than roster places; Brock Bowers will undoubtedly win his, and Michael Mayer, in my opinion, earned enough leeway last season to enter training camp hoping for a larger role. Zach Gentry and Harrison Bryant will now compete to avoid spending a year on the practice squad and being sent back and forth. The team’s… strange… approach to this position will provide for some of the more intriguing topics at training camp this year. Perhaps Bowers finds a more comfortable home as a slot receiver and none of this becomes an issue. That should be enjoyable, at least. or the antithesis of having fun. Who knows?