Insider Thinks Kittle’s Critical Comments on Crosby and the Raiders’ Defense were an “Approved Statement”

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham surprised a few people when he made the decision in January to return to the Raiders and be a part of Pete Carroll’s coaching staff.

Graham was one of the few bright spots among the Raiders’ coaching staff over the last few years, but his 2025 defense is expected to look a little different with Carroll in the building.

We’ve already seen a shift in the type of cornerbacks the Raiders are looking for, and Graham has moved down from the press box and will call games from the sideline this year.

Returning players won’t necessarily have the same role they did in 2024, and one of those players could be… Maxx Crosby?

After joint practices last week, 49ers tight end George Kittle made a comment that has gotten a little traction in recent days.

“I’m not the defensive coordinator for the Raiders, but Maxx Crosby in a four-point stance at six technique, that takes a lot of pressure off of me and [right tackle Colton McKivitz] where I can just run through his outside shoulder and McKivitz can just eat it up at the second level. I’ll take that any day of the week,” Kittle said.

“They’re flying around and celebrating each other,” Kittle continued. “That’s a Pete Carroll team. That’s what they do. I like the vibe here. Let Maxx Crosby be Maxx Crosby, and they’re going to have a great year.”

It wasn’t an aggressive criticism from Kittle, but it was the kind of comment you don’t often hear on the record.

Over the weekend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill shared his thoughts on Kittle’s comments, and he believes there was an approved message behind what he said.

“It was clearly something he wanted to say. I think that’s obvious,” Hill said on Vegas Nation First and 10 podcast.

When asked for more specifics by his co-host, Vinny Bonsignore, Hill offered a theory.

“I don’t know. I have guesses. It’s very interesting that that was what he decided to point out,” Hill added. “I would guess that… he wouldn’t say something like that if it wasn’t being said by somebody else. Like a little conversation that he decided… I would think that would be an approved statement that he would make, is what I’m saying here.”

Kittle’s comments may have been innocent, but it was about this time a year ago that a little media “communication” between Davante Adams and head coach Antonio Pierce turned out to be more significant than what anyone wanted to talk about at the time.

For now, Kittle’s thoughts on how the coaching staff used Crosby against the 49ers might just be something to file away.

Whatever way the Las Vegas coaching staff decides to deploy Crosby in 2025, it won’t make headlines if it works and/or the team is winning.

At the same time, Kittle was probably right. Let Maxx Crosby be Maxx Crosby, and the Raiders should be in line for a good year defensively.

x: @raidersbeat