The Las Vegas Raiders held Maxx Crosby out of their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, but reports from training camp have suggested he’s still a dominant player. He’s healthy now, but there’s no reason to risk him in a meaningless preseason game.
If there’s one player on the roster who is going to show up prepared in Week 1 without getting preseason reps, it’ll be Crosby. However, he was very close to not being on the team this season.
Crosby requested a trade, and the Raiders granted that request when they accepted an offer of two first-round picks from the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens backed out of the trade, which led to the Raiders and Crosby smoothing things over.
There’s still consistent speculation about a possible trade. General manager John Spytek would obviously be open to the right offer, but it doesn’t appear another team has been willing to give up two first-round picks. Spytek hears the noise that Crosby could still be traded, but he still thinks the defensive end will be on the team this season.
“People do what they do,” Spytek told NFL insider Charles Robinson. “I’m just trying to make the Raiders as good as possible. Right now Maxx is here and I have every expectation that he’ll be here.”
Teams Are ‘Keeping Tabs’ on Crosby
Crosby is too good of a player for him to slip away into anonymity this season. There’s going to be talk of the Raiders possibly trading him unless they are way better than anybody expects.
According to Robinson, teams around the NFL are still watching the situation closely.
“Other teams are still keeping tabs on Maxx Crosby, so I will, too,” Robinson wrote. “After Raiders camp, I visited with the rest of the AFC West. Make no mistake: When opponents ask how the Raiders look, they also want to know what the temperature is with Crosby. That’s not going away. When I spoke to Spytek, I pressed him about the reality that other franchises are going to keep making Crosby a target of trade speculation — especially if he plays well but the Raiders struggle to stay competitive by the trade deadline.”
Robinson Believes a Trade Could Still Happen
At this point, Crosby will almost certainly start the season with the Raiders. No team is going to offer up two first-round picks yet. However, things could change as the trade deadline gets closer.
Robinson still thinks Crosby could get traded unless the Raiders show real signs of improvement in 2026.
“But if the losses pile up, contenders will call with offers that force Las Vegas to at least weigh the short-term upside of Crosby against the long-term value of a good return,” Robinson wrote. “It will happen again. None of this means a trade is inevitable or even likely. Crosby has repeatedly embodied what the franchise wants its identity to be. But speculation doesn’t need the Raiders’ cooperation to gain momentum. It only needs a slow start, an aggressive contender and a trade deadline. Until Las Vegas proves it can turn the corner — and perhaps Mendoza steps in and changes everything — Crosby’s status will remain a conversation across the league.”
Raiders GM John Spytek Provides Update on Maxx Crosby Trade