After a turbulent early March, including a failed physical that took a trade off the board that was to send him to the Baltimore Ravens, Maxx Crosby remains a member of the Las Vegas Raiders entering the 2026 NFL season. And everyone involved seems happy with that outcome.
If the Raiders get off to a slow start in Klint Kubiak's first season as head coach, though, then the trade speculation around Crosby will surely ratchet up again. Despite all the current good vibes between the player and the team, John Spytek should and will listen to every incoming offer.
A contending team or two might be desperate for an edge rusher before the trade deadline. It's also possible, however unlikely, that if you ask him right now, Crosby would again ask to be traded if another season of his career moves toward being wasted.
Maxx Crosby wants everyone to think he was naive to Raiders' 2026 offseason situation
During his recent visit to the Raiders' training camp, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer talked to Crosby.
A lot of what Crosby told Breer was well-worn, including the idea that he never really wanted to leave Las Vegas. He also said he felt an odd vibe the entire time he was in Baltimore for the physical that he ultimately failed to nix the trade that would have sent him to the Ravens.
Another interesting note was Crosby's apparent shock at the moves that the Raiders were making in free agency.
"I couldn’t look at a TV without seeing, 'Raiders are having the best offseason,' signing these people," Crosby said. "I’m like, 'Why is this happening?' My phone’s blowing up—Oh my God, now they want to sign players. And I’m laughing. I’m like, Stop talking to me about that s---.”
Crosby also told Breer, "I don’t do business. I’m not on the business side. I’m not on the third floor." With or without that quote, no one would expect him to have known exactly what the Raiders' salary cap situation was entering the offseason.
But he's also smart enough to know the big picture of the situation, and there's no barrier to finding out salary cap information via a publicly available forum. It's worth wondering if, as he made a trade request after being shut down late last season, he was told about a general offseason plan to add notable veteran talent.
Surely, he was privy to that bit of information as the face of the franchise.
Even if Crosby wasn't told something along the line of "we'll have money to spend, and we intend to spend it", telling Breer that "now they want to sign players" comes off as disingenuous and naive.
The Raiders have been willing to spend in free agency during his career. A lot of those moves have failed, at times spectacularly, but money was undeniably spent.
Even very generally, Crosby likely knew the situation for the Raiders entering this offseason. A new head coach was coming, and they were flush with cap space. He may not have wanted out, per se, but when pushed to it, he did ask to be traded.
How much the offseason spending will translate to wins for the Raiders this season is the big question. But Crosby apparently wants everyone to believe he had no idea they were as equipped to add veteran talent to the roster as they could possibly be.
Don't fall for it, Raider Nation.
Add us as a preferred source on Google