With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, the rumor mill will be spinning when it comes to quality players on struggling teams. Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby has already had his name circulating in the headlines, to the point that the team felt it necessary to directly communicate with its best player on the matter.
The Raiders recently met with Crosby to let him know that, even if there is interest from other teams, they are not shopping him and will not trade him, league sources confirmed to The Athletic.
Since Crosby was drafted by the team in the fourth round in 2019, the Raiders have been to the playoffs just one time, which resulted in a wild-card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. That’s the only year in Crosby’s six seasons that the Raiders have had a winning record, and they enter Week 8 at 2-5 and in last place of a competitive AFC West division.
Crosby has previously expressed frustration with the situation in Las Vegas. Around the same time last year, in the days leading up to the Raiders falling to 2-5 in 2024, Crosby made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the losing.
“I’m not here to rebuild; I’m here to win,” Crosby said. “I don’t know, whatever that means, I’m here to win now. Wherever I’m going to be, I’m going to be here to win. That’s all that matters to me.”
Winning football doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for the Raiders, but since his comments in early 2024, Crosby has renewed his commitment to the Raiders, signing a three-year, $106.5 million extension, including $91.5 million guaranteed. The Raiders made some moves in the offseason that pointed to a win-now effort, including hiring a veteran Super Bowl champion coach in Pete Carroll and trading for a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith. However, the results have not manifested on the field through the first two months of the season.
On Tuesday, there was a report that the Dallas Cowboys, who traded away their star pass rusher Micah Parsons the week before the regular season began, inquired with the Raiders about a potential deal for Crosby. It’s worth noting that the report was about the Cowboys reaching out to the Raiders, not the Raiders actively shopping Crosby.
Unlike Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who has been forthright about his desire to be traded, Crosby has not made any public request. However, connecting the dots between Crosby’s previous comments about wanting to win, his age — Crosby is 28 years old and getting closer to the end of what is considered prime years for a pass rusher — and the Raiders appearing to be headed toward a rebuild, there has been plenty of oxygen for trade rumors, resulting in the team clarifying things directly with their star pass rusher.
