Brotherly bond: Close-knit Crosby, Jacobs look to lift Raiders after bye

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Late in the Raiders’ Week 4 win against the Denver Broncos when it looked like their lead was slipping away, running back Josh Jacobs and edge rusher Maxx Crosby met briefly on the home sideline at Allegiant Stadium.

They didn’t say very much to each other because they didn’t have to. Exchanging a few quick words of motivation and encouragement at crucial moments of games, and at other times, has become somewhat of a ritual for the two fourth-year stars.

“Me and Maxx talk before every game, talk after every game — what we feel, what we thought, whatever,” Jacobs said Wednesday at his locker inside the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters. “We get each other going.”

And so far this season, they’ve gotten the whole Raiders’ team going as the two biggest bright spots on what’s otherwise been a disappointing 1-4 start to the season. The Raiders return to action after their bye week at 1:05 p.m. Sunday against the Houston Texans at Allegiant Stadium where they’ll hope Crosby and Jacobs can maintain their blisteringly-hot form.

Despite Las Vegas being one of only four teams in the NFL that’s only played five games, Crosby leads the league with 11 tackles for loss and sits tied for second with six sacks. Jacobs sits third in the league with 490 rushing yards on 91 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per attempt that’s more than a half-yard better than his previous career high.

The pair is living up to the potential they promised to help pull out of each other when they arrived to the Raiders together as two members of the team’s 2019 NFL Draft class.

“That’s been my brother since Day 1,” Crosby said of Jacobs.

With both having established themselves as NFL difference-makers and reached a Pro Bowl, Crosby and Jacobs holding a tight veteran friendship makes perfect sense. It wasn’t always that way.

They were much more of an odd couple when they came into the league.

Jacobs was a virtual can’t-miss prospect with strong running back measurables taken in the first round after winning a national championship at Alabama. Crosby was a somewhat scrawny relative afterthought taken in the fourth round out of Eastern Michigan where his teams made one bowl game (a loss in the 2016 Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl) in four years.

“Maxx’s rookie year is totally different than Maxx now,” Jacobs said with a laugh. “Like his body and everything, but he got that change where he locked in and everything clicked for him. Maxx is from Texas and I’m from Oklahoma so we always had that little rivalry.”

It didn’t take long for the two to realize that the rivalry would be friendly even as they practiced against each other on opposite sides of the ball. Jacobs remembered the first time he felt connected with Crosby was when they freestyle rapped during a stretch of down time during their rookie seasons.

Hip-hop has always been an avenue that Crosby has used to bond with teammates after making his own music over the years and even once collaborating with childhood friend and now superstar artist Post Malone. Crosby might not have looked the part back then with bleached blond hair and a more clean-cut image, but Crosby’s ability didn’t surprise Jacobs.

“White boys from Texas are a little different,” Jacobs said. “They got a little sauce to ‘em.”

Jacobs and Crosby haven’t stopped dabbling in music during their down time from football, though Jacobs refused to divulge too much information on their projects.

“We might have or might have not made a song,” Jacobs said.

Crosby, Jacobs and fellow 2019 first-round draft pick Clelin Ferrell got so close during their rookie seasons that they made a pact to all get tattoos of the Raiders’ shield. Jacobs was first to go under the needle before Crosby soon followed as they both placed the ink on their right arms.

Ferrell, who’s contributed in the edge rusher rotation this season, also remains tight with the two. His locker is next to Crosby’s at Allegiant Stadium, and they typically walk out together.

But it’s Jacobs and Crosby who have emerged as the on-field leaders for this year’s Raiders. If the duo continues to play as well as they have through the first month, it’s hard to see Las Vegas not improving and climbing the standings with a respectable record.

They were both upbeat at the first practice since the team’s bye on Wednesday where coach Josh McDaniels said one of the keys to Sunday’s game will be the defense getting the ball back to let Jacobs “do his thing.” Leave that to Crosby, who takes great pride in seeing Jacobs thrive.

“He’s special,” Crosby said. “I’m so fired up for him.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or