LAS VEGAS — When asked Friday how his recovery was going, an exasperated Maxx Crosby responded: “How do I look?”
The All-Pro edge rusher has expressed annoyance with questions about his health this offseason. The inquiries are justified, however, after the Baltimore Ravens nixed his acquisition due to concerns with his surgically repaired left knee, prompting a bizarre reunion with the Las Vegas Raiders. Crosby and his team have insisted that his rehab from a torn meniscus is going well, and he reiterated as much at his Sack Summit event in Las Vegas.
“I feel amazing,” Crosby said. “It’s been incredible, for sure.”
While his messaging has been the same, Crosby’s retort couldn’t have been confirmed until the event, an annual meeting during which some of the NFL’s best pass rushers share techniques and ideas to collectively improve the position. During an on-field session, Crosby participated in drills alongside his position-mates, marking the first time he’s been observed in football activities since the injury ended his 2025 season in late December.
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Crosby looked spry as he did get-off drills to begin the session. Those turned competitive, with Crosby pitted against reigning Pro Bowler and new Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse in a race off the line. While Verse got Crosby on the first attempt, a rematch saw the veteran beat out the third-year pro with every attendee looking on.
The Raiders star clearly wanted to roll through the rest of the drills, but health is still the priority. Instead, Crosby toned down his intensity for the remainder of the event. As the participants worked through rush-angle and hand-placement exercises, Crosby did so at reduced speed, providing examples for his fellow pass rushers.
The incremental nature of recovery has been difficult for Crosby. His relentless drive has earned him five consecutive Pro Bowl nods, and he’s said the physical limitations that come with recovery have frustrated him. But now, nearing the end of his journey, Crosby believes the process was fruitful.
“It’s been a different road, for sure, going through knee surgery,” Crosby said at the event. “But ultimately, I think it’s been the best offseason so far in general, and I’m extremely excited to get back out there.”
While initial hopes were that Crosby would join the team during their offseason practices, Raiders coach Klint Kubiak stated in May that Crosby’s targeted return would be the start of training camp. Crosby’s words — and, now, observed action — suggest he’s on track for that goal; the team opens camp July 28.
Much of Crosby’s last six-plus months has been directed toward getting healthy, though he’s also found time to try to improve his game. He said every offseason he has to “break the whole building down and start from scratch,” homing in on the minutiae that make him an elite player. Crosby has ensured his recovery and any future benchmarks haven’t distracted him from that focus.
“There’s a lot of things, whether it’s the run game, pass game, overall strength, explosion, film work, seeing more,” Crosby said when asked what he’s tried to improve. “It’s just breaking down those little minute details every single day, and if you do that, you can get 1 percent better. So you take it one day at a time. You don’t want to look too far ahead at things. You don’t want to be worried about camp right now. We’ve still got a couple of weeks. You’ve got to be present and focus on the exact details of what you’re trying to accomplish. I’ve done that from the start.”
Crosby feels events such as the Sack Summit can call attention to those little details by getting the perspective of others. It’s why he joined Von Miller and Cameron Jordan as a host and keynote speaker for the event for the last few offseasons after attending several sessions in previous years.
“Events like this allow us to take our minds to a different level, see the game through other people’s lenses and, ultimately, just get better,” Crosby said. “That’s our ultimate goal.”
Crosby was a driving force in helping others get better at the event this year. While taking things easy, he sought out younger pass rushers to offer advice, including Raiders rookies Keyron Crawford and Cian Slone. Crosby also displayed some of his pass-rush moves for the entire group to observe during a postsession debrief.
While he gets good input on his own game from NFL alumni, veterans and newcomers at the event, it’s clear Crosby wants to offer insight to others who attend. He takes pride in being a resource, and he’s glad interest in his viewpoint has grown.
“Every year, we’ve got more and more people,” Crosby said. “That’s the ultimate goal: Get as many guys on board and just learn and grow from each other.”
Alongside the rookies, veterans Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker IV, Malcolm Koonce and Treven Ma’ae were among Crosby’s Raiders teammates who joined him at the event. Crosby expressed excitement about their prospects under new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard but noted their focus remains nearsighted.
“We expect to be great, but we have to put the work in and the time and effort to do that,” Crosby said. “It’s July. We’ve got a ton of work to do before we get to real football.”
