Amid all of the chaos and uncertainty with the seemingly never-ending Maxx Crosby trade saga, Las Vegas Raiders fans felt like they finally got clarity on Wednesday night. Crosby took to social media and posted a message for Raider Nation, ensuring the fanbase that he is back, and that he is all in.
A good portion of the fanbase is simply glad to have Crosby back, as Las Vegas suddenly has a superstar defensive end to plop into their much-improved defense. Crosby's message also allowed the team's supporters to take a deep breath, even though nothing is set in stone just yet.
Crosby doesn't have a no-trade clause, and he is returning to the same team and front office who dealt him just under a week ago, after all. On that note, ESPN's Dan Graziano warned Raiders fans that a Crosby trade could still be on the table in the not-so-distant future.
ESPN's Dan Graziano doesn't think Raiders' Maxx Crosby saga is over
Graziano appeared on Thursday's edition of Sportscenter, and he was asked to weigh in on the Crosby situation. Although nothing seems very imminent, Graziano wouldn't shut the door on Crosby still getting sent elsewhere later in the offseason.
"They're still hearing from teams on Maxx Crosby, and it's certainly still possible he could ended up traded. But because of everything that's gone on the last couple of days, teams are trying to get him for pennies on the dollar and the Raiders aren't interested in moving him unless they get a high-level return," Graziano explained. "Could they still get two first-round picks from somebody? Probably not, but if you let this go into the summer a little bit as he gets healthier, you might be able to get more than what's on the table now. So, I think that's part of the Raiders' plan. There's also a chance he plays for them in 2026, so a lot of things are on the table right now. Pretty much anything except him going to Baltimore."
John Spytek is smart not to take pennies on the dollar for such an elite player in a bizarre circumstance, so perhaps playing the waiting game is the best play here for the Silver and Black. A fully healthy Crosby is much easier to evaluate for the Raiders, as well as other teams.
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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport practically echoed Graziano's report on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday. However, Rapoport seemed less convinced that a deal could go down, even in the future, for what it's worth.
"There's a bunch of teams that ended up calling the Raiders about Maxx after the trade did not go down. All were trying to get a good deal, all were trying to get 30 cents on the dollar. I didn't get the sense the Raiders would do that," Rapoport explained. "Is there a chance another team jumps back in June or July or August, or whenever Maxx Crosby is fully healthy? There is a chance. There is. But as of right now, Crosby is going to be a member of the Raiders."
It's interesting that both used the "cents on the dollar" idiom, but I digress. Perhaps more intriguing is the fact that, for the last few months, Crosby has wanted out, and the Raiders reportedly wanted to keep him. Now, Crosby is back in, and Las Vegas may still entertain a deal down the road.
This is all just hearsay, but Raider Nation knows straight from the horse's mouth that Crosby wants to be in Las Vegas. Two first-rounders and an extra $30 million in salary cap space was nice, but perhaps fans jumped the gun a bit on wanting to deal their superstar edge.
The football gods have spoken, and perhaps the Raiders don't need to piss them off more than we apparently already have. Let's also not rush to any decisions, as having patience worked in Las Vegas' favor last time.