Maxx Crosby has commonly received public endorsements from the Raiders when his future has been discussed. That remains to be the case as the most recent round of trade speculation continues.
General manager John Spytek has remained consistent in his public messaging on the Crosby front. That continued today when he was chatting with reporters on the Mix. Spytek was asked if he expects to retain the star edge rusher and he delivered an expected response.
“I do,” he said (via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden). “Maxx is an elite player, and I’ve been very upfront from the beginning after I came that we’re within the business of getting really good players on the team, and we want rather a lot more of them.”
Spytek did add that he’s “all the time listening” relating to trade offers, and that applies to Crosby as well. Recent reporting has indicated it should take a monster offer to pry Crosby out of Las Vegas.
We’ve now heard multiple reports of a Micah Parsons-like haul being required for such a move, with probably the most recent offering indicating a bidding war could bump the asking price to 2 first-rounders. Parsons fetched two firsts and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, though the previous Cowboys dynamo was going into an age-26 season on the time of that trade. Crosby will turn 29 this summer.
One wrinkle here would stand to assist the Raiders set such a high asking price. Unlike Parsons or Khalil Mack (in 2018), Crosby just isn’t positioned to want a brand new contract. The Raiders prolonged their top player on a $35.5MM-per-year deal that runs through the 2029 season. That makes this a rare situation, as most blockbuster pass rusher trades have come when a player is unable to achieve a contract agreement with the trading team.
It could behoove the Raiders to listen on Crosby, as their roster has loads of needs. Fernando Mendoza is predicted to fill certainly one of them at No. 1 overall, but Las Vegas finished 3-14 — with win No. 3 coming over a noncommitted Chiefs team. A trade would bring back at the least a first-rounder and a Day 2 pick, perhaps more, to provide Vegas a chance so as to add low-cost draftees to what is predicted to be a Mendoza-centered roster soon. The team could actually hang onto Crosby for his age-29 slate; or, like Parsons, the Silver and Black could delay a swap until the summer — with 2027 draft selections being the prize.
This storyline got here about because Crosby voiced frustration about his injury-driven shutdown last season. The star edge rusher is believed to have spoken to the Raiders about wanting to be moved, although no official trade request has emerged. The Raiders could force Crosby’s hand by refusing to trade him, putting pressure on the player to incur fines for missing training camp and/or miss game checks. However the team also should want to do right by its top 2020s performer.
We’re in the primary of the NFL’s 2026 trade windows, and lots of teams can be eyeing the decorated EDGE. With the Mix serving as a gateway to trade and free agency prices, the Raiders may have a giant decision to make soon.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.