Raiders Rumors: Brady, Spytek, Whitmer
John Spytek was hired before Pete Carroll, who has since been fired. This year’s Raiders HC search — their fourth in the past five offseasons — will be the GM’s first with true involvement. Spytek was not involved in the Carroll hire last year, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler and Ryan McFadden indicate in an expansive look at the Raiders’ present state of affairs.
The team hired Spytek two days before hiring Carroll last year. This is not uncommon for teams seeking to fill HC and GM positions in one offseason. Ryan Poles technically arrived before Matt Eberflus in 2022, but he was not a key player in that search. Spytek, though, is the point man for the Raiders in-house, as he is running things locally while Tom Brady — who has been involved from afar since being approved as a minority owner in fall 2024 — made “five or six” appearances at the team facility in 2025, Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller estimated.
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Brady did play the lead role in the Raiders firing Tom Telesco and hiring Spytek, his former college teammate who later ended up in the Buccaneers’ front office during the QB legend’s Tampa stopover. Brady later led the Raiders’ pursuit of Ben Johnson and then played the central role in a failed Matthew Stafford recruitment. The 47-year-old QB retiree-turned-FOX analyst was believed to be against a Sam Darnold free agent signing, and he was a key figure in the trade for Geno Smith, per an agent of a Raiders player (via Kahler and McFadden). That certainly appeased Carroll, but the Carroll-Smith reunion backfired quickly.
Brady will continue to carry plenty of say with the Raiders, who are believed to be pursuing an offense-oriented HC to pair with expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. But Spytek will be the one running things from inside, as Brady will continue with his FOX role for a third season in 2026.
“My preparation is very much centered around what I have to do in broadcasting,” Brady said of his Raiders role, via The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. “I love, obviously, having a chance to be involved with the Raiders. To be a former player and have a minority ownership is like a dream come true.
“I couldn’t afford to pay to be a general partner. I did very well in my career. It’s awesome to kind of help shape and strategize and be a visionary for a team. I love being involved in football.”
The Raiders will be expected to move on from Smith, who appears destined to follow Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew as Vegas QB acquisitions to last one season. Although Smith signed a two-year, $75MM extension, it will cost the Raiders just $18.5MM in dead money to drop him. That amount would be lessened in the post-June 1 scenario.
Mendoza is the latest QB to rocket to the top sector of the draft with a dominant college season. The Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick, shelving Brock Bowers and, more controversially, Maxx Crosby (who has since undergone knee surgery for an injury he believed he could play through), for the season’s final two games. One of Mendoza’s Indiana coaches, co-OC/QBs coach Chandler Whitmer is a name to monitor regarding a Raiders role, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore tweets.
Whitmer, 34, was on all three Brandon Staley Chargers staffs before landing with the Falcons in 2024. He joined the Hoosiers last year, and his role in Mendoza’s Heisman-winning season and the team’s 16-0 national championship season certainly brought a stock boost.
The Raiders, though, still have a head coach to hire before turning their attention to assistants. Brady heavily influenced Chip Kelly‘s move from the college ranks back to the NFL; that would make another college-to-NFL hire draw some scrutiny. The Raiders gave their one-and-done OC a $6MM-per-year deal only to fire him in-season. Kelly is now Northwestern’s OC.
Pete Carroll Did Not Want Maxx Crosby Shut Down; Raiders Trading Star Edge Rusher In Play?
The Raiders have resisted trading Maxx Crosby amid a set of down years, giving him a monster extension to stay as the Tom Brady-John Spytek-Pete Carroll regime took over. Las Vegas’ late-season decision to shelve Crosby may represent a breaking point in this relationship.
Crosby has spoken out against the Raiders’ apparent tanking for the No. 1 overall pick, doing so after showing a video in which he played basketball and jumped on a trampoline following a report he needs meniscus surgery. Without a draft lottery in place, the team had plenty of incentive to move in this direction.
Crosby was not the only marquee Raider shut down before Week 17, as the team placed Brock Bowers on IR ahead of a pivotal loss to the Giants. While Bowers will not be going anywhere ahead of the 2026 season, Crosby no longer appears a lock to stay.
Not long after a report indicating Crosby would evaluate his Raiders future surfaced, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicates many around the league are wondering about this situation. Many believe a trade could take place if this dispute persists. The Raiders could cash in the Jon Gruden 2.0-era draftee for valuable draft capital as the Brady-Spytek duo follows through with a rebuild. Carroll does not appear to be part of that vision any longer, with the Raiders expected to make him a one-and-done HC following this dismal season.
Carroll is believed to be pushing for a second season, and Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes that the veteran HC was overruled on Crosby. Carroll wanted Crosby for the stretch run, per Salguero, while the decision to sit him “came down from on high.” It is not exactly surprising a coach on the hot seat wanted his top player available, but a coach-front office disagreement of this sort is certainly notable given the dysfunction that has plagued the Raiders in recent years.
The four-time NFL HC pitched a quicker turnaround in his interview last year, and the Raiders went in that direction. Though, they only hired Carroll after a Brady-led push for Ben Johnson failed. That represented a striking shift, as Carroll became the oldest HC in NFL history — at 74 — this season. The Raiders are 2-14 and will likely be looking (again) for a new quarterback soon; the Carroll-Geno Smith reunion has not panned out. The No. 1 overall pick will give the Raiders a great chance to finally solve their post-Derek Carr dilemma, with Fernando Mendoza links already emerging.
Carroll understandably disagrees on the topic of a rebuild, but it appears that is where the Raiders are headed. Crosby is signed through 2029, with three years (and $106.5MM) tacked onto his previous deal. With $30MM of Crosby’s 2025 compensation tied up in base salary, the Raiders would not eat much dead money by moving him in 2026. The team would incur barely $5MM by dealing this contract. With Crosby exiting his age-28 season, plenty of suitors would emerge.
Mark Davis has shut down Crosby trade inquiries in the past (including at this year’s deadline), but time is running out to sell high here. Crosby will be entering his eighth NFL season in 2026. He has made five straight Pro Bowls and finished with the most tackles for loss in the NFL in 2022 and ’23, doing so despite the Raiders struggling and not giving him much help in terms of a sidekick bookend in those years. Crosby actually improved on his TFL number this season, delivering 28 before his season ended against his wishes after 15 games. That is a career-best number by five, though Myles Garrett‘s 32 — a number that sits behind only J.J. Watt‘s transcendent 2012 for most this century — leads the league.
I discussed the prospect of Crosby being a clearer 2026 trade candidate than Garrett in this week’s PFR Chat, even as the Browns icon is in a similar position. Crosby is also more than a year younger, giving the Raiders an interesting opportunity. While it would be difficult to replace Crosby, it appears Brady and Spytek are much more open to the idea compared to Carroll. That could win out for Davis. Speaking out against such an approach previously, Crosby will likely find himself in trade rumors soon.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Addresses IR Move
In advance of their Week 17 game, the Raiders and Giants both shut down a number of players by moving them to injured reserve. The lengths Vegas went to drew criticism from some, but by losing to New York the team is now on track to select first overall in April’s draft.
Maxx Crosby has dealt with a knee injury since October, and he intended to remain on the field through the final two weeks of the season. The Raiders moved him to injured reserve, however, removing the chance of the ailment being worsened down the stretch. Attention will now turn to meniscus surgery but also the question of Crosby’s outlook with the franchise.
In the aftermath of Vegas’ decision to shut him down, it was reported the five-time Pro Bowler would contemplate his future with the team. Crosby has spent his entire seven-year career with the Raiders, and he signed an extension in March. The 28-year-old made his first public comments on the situation during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast.
“[W]hen it comes to football, there’s certain things that I truly believe in, and I feel like there’s core principles that you gotta live by, and there’s a certain way the game needs to be played,” Crosby said. “And there’s a certain approach that you have when you go onto the field. And the way you look at it, from my perspective, is you play to win. You play for your teammates, you put everything you have into the game, no matter what it is. There’s gonna be bumps and bruises. You’re gonna be banged up. That is a part of the game and the nature of the beast.”
While those remarks represent a less-than-flattering perspective on the Raiders and how they approached the end of the season, Crosby did not offer any comments regarding his future. The former fourth-rounder has remained one of the league’s most productive edge rushers over the course of his career with 69.5 sacks in 110 games. That kind of output will be expected moving forward, presuming of course Crosby remains in place.
The Raiders will close out their season against the Chiefs on Sunday. A loss will guarantee the No. 1 pick and set up what could be a reset at the quarterback position for the franchise. Regardless, Crosby’s status – and a definitive stance on his intentions – will remain something to monitor moving forward.
Raiders Now In Line To Land 2026 No. 1 Overall Pick
DECEMBER 29: ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports some in the Giants’ organization found the Raiders’ IR moves leading up to yesterday’s game to be suspicious. They certainly helped Vegas move into pole position for the top selection, however. Similar actions can be expected in future years when games critical to determining the draft order take place late in the season.
DECEMBER 28: In what would be a snoozer of a game any time before, say, Week 14, today’s matchup between the two teams with the worst records in the NFL held huge implications for each franchise’s future. With a loss today, the Giants could have all but locked up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but after New York blew out Las Vegas to the tune of 34-10, the Raiders now sit in the driver’s seat heading into the regular season finale.
It seems only two teams remain eligible to secure the top pick in the league’s next draft, and it’s still the two who played each other today. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the Giants still hold a 20% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick by losing next week, when they host the Cowboys, and seeing Vegas beat the Chiefs. Raanan’s ESPN coworker, Adam Schefter, followed up Raanan’s report to point out the remaining 80 percent of probability belongs solely to the Raiders, who can secure the top pick with a Week 18 home loss to Kansas City.
A couple factors should give New York fans some hope behind their smaller odds. Todd Archer, another contributor at ESPN, reported shortly after the Cowboys’ Christmas Day game that quarterback Dak Prescott has “pride” in starting the final game of the 2025 season, giving the Giants a tougher matchup for the final week of the season. Additionally, the Chiefs offense will be led by QB3 Chris Oladokun after both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew suffered season-ending injuries.
Working against the Giants’ odds is the fact that the Raiders appear to be self-handicapping their team for what could be an easy matchup against the ailing Chiefs to close out the year. All before the penultimate week of the regular season, the Raiders shut down the seasons of starting offensive guard Jordan Meredith, star tight end Brock Bowers, and starting safety Jeremy Chinn, not to mention star pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Additionally, after starting quarterback Geno Smith left today’s game with an injury, head coach Pete Carroll announced that Smith would miss the team’s regular season finale with a high ankle sprain, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The move to place Crosby on injured reserve seems especially blatant as Crosby has been banging the table, advocating for himself, wanting to play out the rest of the season. Crosby had started every game this year up until this week despite suffering a midseason knee injury that both player and team have known for a while would require a meniscus trim procedure to repair. Las Vegas made the move to place Crosby on IR yesterday and plan his surgery against the will of the star pass rusher, ending his season and causing him to walk out of the team facility.
Crosby spoke against the transaction, telling the media that he doesn’t care “about the pick” and that his “job is to be the best defensive end in the world.” Crosby even received two alternative medical opinions on his situation, both of which indicated that he could continue to play, provided he could handle any accompanying pain. Seemingly to speak out against his team’s decision and prove he could still play, Crosby posted videos to his Instagram story yesterday that showed him playing basketball and playing with his daughter on a trampoline, activities that would be difficult for someone with a season-ending knee injury.
Regardless, heading into the final week of the regular season, the Raiders will enter a winnable game against an injury-riddled Chiefs squad without Smith, Bowers, Meredith, Chinn, and Crosby, as well as earlier-injured starting offensive linemen Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson. The Giants will head into a tough matchup against a favored Cowboys team, but their draft slot will likely be determined by the actions of the Raiders, who seem to unashamedly be aiming for the No. 1 overall pick.
Maxx Crosby To ‘Evaluate’ Raiders Future?
It was learned shortly before today’s game against the Giants that Maxx Crosby would be shut down for the remainder of the season. In response to learning his season was over, Crosby exited the Raiders’ facility. 
At the time, it was reported this episode could lead to a new round of questions about the Pro Bowl edge rusher’s standing with the Raiders. Crosby’s attention will now turn to recovering from a meniscus trim he was always going to undergo at some point. Multiple outside opinions on his knee injury suggested he could have continued playing to close out the season, however, and how Crosby reacts to the team’s decision could make for a storyline to follow.
Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (video link) this situation is going to cause Crosby to “evaluate his future” in Vegas. On more than one occasion, owner Mark Davis has insisted no trade is going to take place in this case. That stance was further cemented when team and player agreed to a $35.5MM-per-year extension. At the time of signing, the pact made Crosby the league’s highest-paid pass rusher on an annual basis.
That is no longer the case, but the 28-year-old has repeatedly stated his desire to spend his entire NFL career with one team. Crosby is under contract through 2029 thanks to the extension he signed this past spring. He is owed $30MM in guarantees for next year, and in mid-March his $29MM base salary for 2027 will vest in full. Any hypothetical change of scenery will no doubt take place before that date.
The Raiders face a number of key decisions in the near future. Head coach Pete Carroll intends to continue in his current capacity, but he has loomed as a strong candidate to go one-and-done in Vegas for some time now. The team sits at 2-13 entering Week 17, the same record as the Giants. A loss would go a long way in determining the No. 1 pick for either team, something which is of course critical whenever a new quarterback is being targeted.
Vegas has Geno Smith in the fold, but especially if the team finds itself in a position to do so it could add a signal-caller in the first round of the draft. Doing so could help spark a needed turnaround for the franchise, but before that point it will become clear whether or not Crosby’s decorated Raiders career will continue into 2026.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Placed On IR, Will Undergo Meniscus Surgery
5:40pm: Crosby received two alternative opinions on his injury, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports. Both of them indicated he could continue playing provided his pain threshold was high enough. Instead of delaying surgery (which was always going to be necessary) for another two weeks, Crosby’s attention will now turn to recovery.
2:52pm: One day after shutting down Maxx Crosby for the season, the Raiders announced that they have placed the star defensive end on injured reserve. Crosby will undergo a meniscus trim in the offseason, but he should recover quickly, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
As part of a lengthy statement, the Raiders said: “After deliberate and thorough consultation with multiple top medical professionals, it became clear that this decision is in the best interest of both the franchise and the player. Maxx is the ultimate warrior, and he has fought extremely hard to compete each week with his teammates since injuring his knee mid-season. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions. He is a true Raider on and off the field — we look forward to his leadership and toughness into 2026 and beyond.”
Crosby was displeased with the Raiders on Friday after they informed him he wouldn’t play against the Giants on Sunday. The Raiders already sent their best offensive player, Brock Bowers, to IR earlier in the week ahead of a matchup between 2-13 teams. The loser will enter Week 18 in pole position to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. That doesn’t matter to Crosby.
“Yeah, I don’t give a s— about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby said earlier in the week. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. Being a great leader, being an influence.”
Despite injuring his left knee in Week 7, Crosby logged perfect attendance in the Raiders’ first 15 games and earned his fifth Pro Bowl invitation. He’ll end his season with 73 tackles, 53 pressures and 10 sacks – his fourth double-digit total in seven years.
While Crosby would’ve liked to finish the season and build on those numbers, he underwent an MRI on Tuesday that showed his injury had persisted, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Worried about Crosby potentially suffering long-term damage, the Raiders are shelving him for the rest of the year. They addressed their concerns with him after that, per Schefter. Head coach Pete Carroll revealed he and Crosby spoke “four times” on Friday.
“I agree with him 1,000 percent on how he responded, and I [would have] responded the same way,” Carroll said of Crosby’s reaction to Friday’s news.
There’s some question as to whether Carroll will return for a second season in 2026. Regardless of whether that happens, the Raiders’ statement suggests they’re committed to keeping Crosby next year. Crosby was popular in trade rumors last offseason, but the Raiders put an end to those in handing him a three-year, $106.5MM extension with $91.5MM guaranteed in March. He’s under wraps through 2029 as a result.
With Crosby’s season officially over, the Raiders signed defensive end Jahfari Harvey from their practice squad to their active roster in a corresponding move. They also elevated running back Chris Collier and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett from their taxi squad.
Raiders Shut Down DE Maxx Crosby
With the Raiders approaching a critical game regarding their chances at the No. 1 pick, they are moving forward without another critical player in the lineup. Maxx Crosby will not play against the Giants on Sunday. 
Vegas informed Crosby he will be inactive on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The five-time Pro Bowler wants to play down the stretch despite the fact the Raiders have long been out of playoff contention. The team’s preference would be for Crosby to be sidelined for the final two weeks of the season, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer adds. Head coach Pete Carroll has since confirmed (via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal) the team is shutting down its top player.
Per Glazer, Crosby “vehemently disagreed” with the decision to sit him and left the team facility upon learning the news. He adds this episode could invite a new round of speculation regarding the decorated edge rusher’s future in Las Vegas. Crosby has of course been tied to trade talk over the years, but owner Mark Davis has fiercely denied any suggestions about a parting of ways receiving consideration.
“Yeah, I don’t give a s— about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby said earlier this week when asked about the No. 1 selection in April’s draft (h/t Rapoport). “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. Being a great leader, being an influence.”
This Crosby decision comes shortly after standout tight end Brock Bowers was moved to injured reserve. That ended his season in time for the Sunday Giants matchup which will see the NFL’s two 2-13 teams play each other. The loser will secure an inside track for the top pick; doing so for Vegas in particular would be critical. Drafting first overall would allow the Raiders to land a quarterback capable of taking over from Geno Smith as the team’s starter over the long term.
Crosby has dealt with a knee injury for much of the year, but he has managed to play all 15 games so far in 2025. A second-team All-Pro selection on two occasions, he has remained one of the league’s top EDGE producers this season. Crosby has totaled 10 sacks, reaching double-digits in that regard for the fourth time in his seven-year career.
This past spring, Crosby worked out a three-year, $106.5MM extension. That pact very briefly made him the league’s highest-paid pass rusher in terms of AAV, but five players now sit ahead of Crosby at this point. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2029, but it will be interesting to see if today’s developments make any difference with respect to his commitment to the franchise.
Raiders Aren’t Shopping Maxx Crosby
OCTOBER 25: Owner Mark Davis spoke about Crosby after the fall league meeting. He reiterated (via Pelissero’s colleagues Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo) his stance and that of the team has not changed with respect to a trade in this case. While interest will no doubt continue to be shown, Crosby can still be expected to remain in Vegas moving forward.
OCTOBER 21: Maxx Crosby isn’t going anywhere. While the Raiders could be open to moving some significant pieces, the team doesn’t have any intention of trading their defensive star. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders met with Crosby today and told the pass rusher they’re neither shopping nor trading him.
Following a report earlier this morning that the Cowboys had made inquires on Crosby’s availability, Pelissero notes that rival teams do indeed have interest in acquiring the four-time Pro Bowler. That probably goes without saying when it comes to a player of Crosby’s caliber, and it would simply be a continuation of this past offseason when teams (including the Seahawks and Patriots) were rebuffed in their attempts to acquire the star. No matter how many suitors line up for Crosby’s services, it sounds like the Raiders refuse to budge.
Perhaps best of all for the franchise, Pelissero notes that Crosby wants to stick with the Raiders. While the edge rusher has a strong desire to win, he wants that to happen in Las Vegas. Of course, the player previously showed his commitment to the franchise when he inked a three-year, $106.5MM extension this past offseason.
After missing the final four games of the 2024 campaign, Crosby has picked up where he left off. Through seven games this season, the 28-year-old has collected 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and a force fumble. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 21st among 113 qualifiers, although the site graded him as a top-four player at his position between 2021 and 2023.
While the Raiders won’t be trading Crosby, that doesn’t mean they won’t be active ahead of the deadline. Both the Raiders and Jakobi Meyers seem motivated to get the receiver out of Las Vegas, and there have even been rumblings that the front office could add to their defense. Despite the Raiders 2-5 start, the team isn’t anticipating any major changes to leadership, and it appears the organization will be looking to support their foundation with an eye on 2026.
As for the unsubstantiated Cowboys rumblings, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News denies that the organization hasn’t reached out to any teams about potential trades. However, the reporter notes that the front office has discussed potential deals internally, so perhaps a trade (for someone other than Crosby) could eventually materialize.
Largest 2025 Cap Hits: Defense
The 2025 offseason has been defined in no small part by extensions amongst the league’s top edge rushers. A number of high-profile situations on that front remain unresolved at this point, which will make for interesting storylines over the coming weeks. Still, pass rushers once again account for some of the top cap charges around the NFL.
Just like on offense, here is a breakdown of the top 25 defensive cap hits in 2025:
- Maxx Crosby, DE (Raiders): $38.15MM
- T.J. Watt, OLB (Steelers): $30.42MM
- DeForest Buckner, DT (Colts): $26.6MM
- Daron Payne, DT (Commanders): $26.17MM
- Rashan Gary, OLB (Packers): $25.77MM
- Montez Sweat, DE (Bears): $25.09MM
- Denzel Ward, CB (Browns): $24.56MM
- Micah Parsons, DE (Cowboys): $24.01MM
- Derwin James, S (Chargers): $23.86MM
- Roquan Smith, LB (Ravens): $23.72MM
- Dexter Lawrence, DT (Giants): $23.64MM
- Chris Jones, DT (Chiefs): $23.6MM
- Jeffery Simmons, DT (Titans): $22.7MM
- L’Jarius Sneed, CB (Titans): $22.58MM
- Vita Vea, DT (Buccaneers): $22.47MM
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, S (Dolphins): $22.36MM
- Jonathan Greenard, DE (Vikings): $22.3MM
- Jessie Bates, S (Falcons): $22.25MM
- Myles Garrett, DE (Browns): $21.92MM)
- Quinnen Williams, DT (Jets): $21.59MM
- Jaylon Johnson, CB (Bears): $21MM
- Nick Bosa, DE (49ers): $20.43MM
- Kenny Clark, DT (Packers): $20.37MM
- Danielle Hunter, DE (Texans): $20.2MM
- Zach Allen, DE (Broncos): $19.8MM
Crosby briefly held the title of the league’s highest-paid pass rusher when his latest Raiders extension was signed. That $35.5MM-per-year pact was quickly overtaken in value, but it put to rest speculation about a potential trade. Now fully healthy, Crosby’s level of play in 2025 will be critical in determining Vegas’ success. 
Garrett currently leads the way in terms of AAV for edge rushers (and, in turn, all defensive players). He landed $40MM in annual compensation from the Browns in a deal which ended his long-running trade request. The four-time All-Pro sought a change of scenery to a Super Bowl contender but then altered his stance following communication with Cleveland’s front office. Garrett is now on the books through 2030.
Other notable pass rushers face an uncertain future beyond the coming campaign, by contrast. That includes Watt, who is not close to reaching an agreement on a third Steelers contract. The former Defensive Player of the Year is reported to be eyeing a pact which will again move him to the top of the pecking order for pass rushers. He thus finds himself in a similar situation to fellow 30-year-old All-Pro Trey Hendrickson with the Bengals.
While Hendrickson is believed to be aiming for a new deal similar in average annual value to those like Bosa and Hunter’s, Parsons could leapfrog Watt atop the pecking order by the time the season begins. Little (if any) progress has been made since Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reached a handshake agreement on the framework of a deal. Time remains for a pact to be finalized before training camp; failing that, the possibility of a hold-in will increase.
Recent years have seen a major spike in the valuation of interior defensive linemen capable of producing against the pass. It comes as no surprise, then, to see a multitude of D-tackles on the list. Buckner and Chris Jones are among the veterans with the longest track record of success in terms of sacks and pressures (along with disruptive play against the run, of course). Payne, Lawrence, Simmons and Williams were among the players who helped moved the position’s market upward with similar second contracts during the 2023 offseason.
Gary, Sweat and Greenard will again be counted on to lead the way in terms of pass rush production for their respective NFC North teams. Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota each have upside elsewhere on the depth chart, but expectations will remain high for those three based on their lucrative deals. The highly competitive division will no doubt come down to head-to-head games, and they will be influenced in large part by the performances of each defense.
The cornerback market reached $30MM per year this offseason thanks to Derek Stingley Jr.‘s Texans extension. Given the term remaining on his rookie pact, though, his cap charge for this season checks in at a much lower rate than that of teammates like Hunter or other top CBs. Ward and Jaylon Jones are on the books through 2027, and the same is true of Sneed. The high-priced Tennessee trade acquisition did not enjoy a healthy debut season with his new team in 2024, but he appears to be set for full participation in training camp. 
Safety and linebacker are among the positions which have witnessed slower growth than others recently. Still, a few top performers are attached to deals landing them on this list. Smith has been a first-team All-Pro performer during his tenure with the Ravens; he will be expected to remain one in 2025 and beyond. James and Bates will likewise be counted on as key playmakers in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Fitzpatrick will, interestingly, return to his original team after being part of the blockbuster Steelers-Dolphins trade from earlier this week.
Vea helped the Buccaneers rank fourth against the run last season while Clark and the Packers finished seventh in that regard. Both veterans have multiple years remaining on their deals, although in both cases the final season does not include guaranteed money. Vea and/or Clark could thus find themselves discussing an extension next offseason.
Allen is among the players listed who could have a new deal in hand before Week 1. The former Cardinal is coming off a career-best 8.5 sacks from the 2024 season. To no surprise, then, Allen is high on Denver’s list of extension priorities, and it will be interesting to see if the pending 2026 free agent works out a new pact prior to the start of the campaign.
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Fully Recovered From Ankle Surgery
2024 saw Maxx Crosby miss regular season action for the first time in his career. The Raiders All-Pro dealt with an ankle injury early in the campaign which ultimately required season-ending surgery.
Crosby managed to recover in time for spring workouts, however, and The Athletic’s Tashan Reed notes he has returned to his normal summer routine (subscription required). That is of course a welcomed development for team and player as training camp approaches. Having Crosby back to full strength for the start of Year 1 of the franchise’s new regime will be key.
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Changes on the sidelines and in the front office have been a constant during Crosby’s time with the Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler has expressed a desire to remain with the team throughout his career, and an extension was worked out in March would provided a new round of guaranteed money. That deal briefly gave him the title of the league’s highest-paid defender (and top earner for all non-quarterbacks) and ensured Crosby will be in place for the beginning of head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady‘s time in Vegas.
“It’s an honor, obviously, having the Raiders with a new staff and new regime come in and show me that type of respect,” Crosby said when speaking about his new deal (via Reed). “It means the world. Like Spytek said, it’s not about what I’ve done, it’s about what I’m about to do.”
Now attached to an AAV of $35.5MM, Crosby – who drew trade interest from at least the Seahawks and Patriots this spring – will again be counted on to anchor Vegas’ defense in 2025. The 27-year-old has racked up 59.5 sacks and 105 tackles for loss to date, and high-end production will be required if the Raiders are to contend for a postseason spot this year. Malcolm Koonce re-signed on a one-year pact while the team also has Tyree Wilson in the fold. Those two could handle complementary roles in 2025, but a Raiders defense which has undergone a number of changes at other spots will of course depend greatly on Crosby’s level of play.
The Eastern Michigan product’s health will be central in determining how well he is able to perform in 2025. A full recovery from the ankle procedure should set him up for normal participation in training camp this summer and thus the regular season.