The Las Vegas Raiders and Maxx Crosby have been making headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. First, it was his benching over the last two regular-season games. Then, Fox Sports reported that the star pass rusher was expected to be traded before the start of next season. The Athletic later added that, reporting he specifically wanted to play for Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots.
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Crosby, for his part, came out yesterday and cleared things up, saying that he has not asked for a trade. He added he has not said anything about it because he has learned he “can’t control everything.” The recent rumors even made him laugh, as he is focused on getting healthy right now.
But despite what Crosby says, Dianna Russini reports that a change of scenery could still happen based on how the season ended for him in Vegas.
“The Raiders’ decision to sideline Maxx Crosby for the regular season’s final two games did not sit well with their star pass rusher. Crosby remains under contract, but there’s a strong sense in league circles that he could be had in a trade,” Russini penned in her The Athletic story.
In case you missed it, Crosby was upset after being told he was being shut down for the final two games of the regular season. Amid a 2-13 campaign, the Raiders were very much out of contention. They decided to go all in on securing the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft by forcing Crosby to sit out.
In the end, the team got what it wanted and will likely be drafting Fernando Mendoza with the number one pick. However, the decision to shut Crosby down caused friction between him and the team, which has inevitably fueled the trade rumors.
The Raiders’ decision to sideline Maxx Crosby for the regular season’s final two games did not sit well with their star pass rusher.
Crosby remains under contract, but there’s a strong sense in league circles that he could be had in a trade.https://t.co/P4kwbuMPJf pic.twitter.com/9hCFVlNmls
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 7, 2026
Crosby has had a frustrating experience ever since he was drafted by the Raiders in 2019. Individually, he has been excellent, racking up 69.5 career sacks and 133 tackles for loss. But as a team, he has made the playoffs only once, appearing in a single postseason game. His career record with Vegas stands at 46-71, with 27 of those losses coming in just the last two years.
All in all, it would not be surprising to see Crosby get traded. There is smoke coming from the Raiders’ camp that it could potentially happen. And even though the player does not seem too focused on it publicly, there has been clear evidence of Crosby being frustrated with the organization.
Furthermore, as he heads into his eighth season, Crosby likely does not want to sit through another rebuild. It feels like the Raiders have been rebuilding for a while now, with little to show for it. After all, they are about to hire their third head coach in three years and have not made the playoffs since 2021. It may be time for Maxx to take his talents elsewhere and focus on chasing a title.
