One of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason centers on the Las Vegas Raiders and their standout pass rusher Maxx Crosby. The five-time Pro Bowler was held out in December with a knee issue—a move Crosby strongly disputed, according to Fox’s Jay Glazer—and he’s said to be reconsidering his future with the franchise once the matter is settled.
Reports about Crosby’s status conflict. Glazer has suggested Crosby’s time in Las Vegas may be finished, while NFL Media reports the player hasn’t asked for a trade and remains in a “good position” with the team. MMQB’s Albert Breer, however, says the Raiders have substantial damage control to do if they want to keep him, and that Crosby’s frustration with the organization is at an all-time high.
Breer noted that Crosby rose inside the organization during the Tom Brady era and had a close association with trainer Alex Guerrero, who now serves as the Raiders’ wellness coordinator. Multiple sources tell Breer Guerrero, viewed as Brady’s “eyes and ears,” was involved in informing Crosby he would be sidelined—a conversation that “really infuriated” the star defender. Crosby also reportedly suspected his being shut down was tied to the Raiders’ push for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, which Vegas ultimately secured.
Crosby has largely avoided fueling the speculation publicly. On the podcast “Let’s Go!” he said his priority is getting healthy, being with his wife and daughters, and focusing on training, and he dismissed the off-field chatter as predictable noise that he can’t control. New head coach Clint Kubiak, hired this week, has already had Crosby in the building to train and spoke warmly about him, saying he wants Crosby to be part of the team’s future and calling him one of the NFL’s best players.
On the field, Crosby’s production since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 is among the elite for defensive linemen: he’s logged 133 tackles (the most), 164 quarterback hits (fifth-most), 69.5 sacks (sixth-most) and 6,112 snaps (the most) over that span. Breer added that many teams would be interested if Crosby were to become available, though whether the Raiders will trade him remains unresolved.
Fan Take: This matters because Crosby is a perennial difference-maker whose relationship with the Raiders affects both their immediate competitiveness and locker-room stability. If the situation leads to a trade or a breakdown in trust, it could reshape pass-rush hierarchies around the league and spotlight how teams handle star players’ health and communication.
