Raiders fans are bracing for the worst right now, and it's kinda hard to blame them.
After yesterday's Davante Adams trade, things are bleak in Las Vegas. Adams basically had one foot out the door for the last year he spent with the Raiders, and now fans are staring down an especially bleak rest of the season filled with awful quarterback play and almost none of the stars that the team had in Week 1. At least Brock Bowers is good!
RELATED: Raiders trade Davante Adams to NY Jets: Full details and grade
Now that Adams successfully willed his way onto the Jets, attention's turned towards the other Raiders star that would, in theory, become available if Tom Telesco decided to tear this whole thing down and start over: Maxx Crosby. Crosby's had an up-and-down season so far – in part due to the high ankle sprain he suffered in the Raiders' win over Baltimore – but is still playing like one of the best pass rushers in football when fully healthy. And despite his locker room speech about how he doesn't want to leave, and how he has the Raiders logo tattooed on his body, it makes sense that he'd be available – especially with a team from Crosby's home state now needing an edge rushing replacement. Right?
Wrong! While speaking to reporters recently, Raiders owner Mark Davis unequivocally denied the notion that they'd trade Crosby.
Mark Davis strongly rejects idea that Raiders will trade Maxx Crosby this season
“It’s unfortunate today, but there’s so much outside chatter that is not true,” Davis told The Athletic. “It’s not coming from any sources. It’s not coming from anything. My basic thing is never to answer all that stuff because, otherwise, you get trapped in this black hole. It’s just not happening.”
Well there you have it! I'm certainly not one to always believe what an owner has to say, but this sure sounds like someone who has no plans to trade away the last really good player on his team. Crosby probably means a little more to the team than Adams ever did – the former's been in Vegas since getting drafted, when the team was still in Oakland – and could, in theory, still be a defensive cornerstone on the next great Raiders team. (He's somehow only 27?!)
The NFL trade deadline is November 5th, so there are only a few more nail-biting weeks of panicking anytime Adam Schefter tweets about the Lions. Have fun!