Raiders Rumors: Maxx Crosby Restructures Contract, Creates $7.5M in Salary-Cap Space

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly restructured the contract of Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby on Saturday.

According to ESPN's Field Yates, the move will save the Raiders $7.5375 million against the salary cap.

The 25-year-old Crosby, who was a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in the 2019 NFL draft, signed a four-year, $94 million contract extension last year.

Since entering the league, Crosby has been among the NFL's most consistent pass-rushing forces, recording double-digit sacks twice and a total of 37.5 sacks in his young career.

Crosby finished second in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 after he racked up 10 sacks, and he has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons.

In 2022, Crosby enjoyed a career year with personal bests of 12.5 sacks, 89 tackles, 36 quarterback hits and 22 tackles for loss, the latter of which led the league.

Crosby will likely continue to be among the Raiders' key players for years to come, and by agreeing to rework his contract, he has given Vegas some money to work with in order to make much-needed improvements this offseason.

The Raiders also have to consider what they want to do with key impending free agents such as quarterback Jarrett Stidham, wide receiver Mack Hollins, offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, linebacker Denzel Perryman, defensive end Clelin Ferrell, cornerback Anthony Averett and safety Duron Harmon.

One major move already made by the Raiders was placing the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs, although they still have time to work out a long-term deal with the All-Pro and could use some of the money saved with the Crosby restructure toward it.

After the acquisition of superstar wide receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers last offseason, there were high expectations for the Raiders.

They struggled in the stacked AFC West, however, and missed the playoffs with a 6-11 record.

Longtime quarterback Derek Carr was one of the scapegoats for last season's failures, as he was benched for the final two games and released before signing with the New Orleans Saints.

The Raiders must now find their next quarterback either through trade, free agency and the draft, and the extra $7.5 million should come in handy.

Per Spotrac, the Raiders have a projected $47.2 million in cap space, which is the third-most in the NFL, meaning they should be active in free agency.