The Las Vegas Raiders have put their nightmare 2025 NFL season behind them. The first major domino fell on Monday, as they fired head coach Pete Carroll the day after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 14-12 to finish the year 3-14.
Plenty of work still needs to be done by the front office, with the first order of business likely being finding Carroll's replacement. Building out the roster through free agency and the draft will also be pivotal.
But before any roster moves are made, the leadership group must determine what will happen with Maxx Crosby. In fact, every decision that the leadership group makes this offseason should have Crosby in mind.
The superstar pass rusher reiterated his desire to stay in Las Vegas ahead of the trade deadline; however, he strongly disagreed with the franchise's decision to sideline him for the final two games of the season.
Speculation about his future with the Raiders is at the forefront of the news cycle, and one executive recently made a statement that fans will likely hear a lot this offseason.
NFL exec's claim about Maxx Crosby is not what Raiders fans want to hear
Crosby has been the heart and soul of the Raiders since his arrival in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In his seven-year career, he has continued to dominate despite never having an All-Pro and just one Pro Bowler, Denzel Perryman in 2021, alongside him on defense.
Losing the five-time Pro Bowler would certainly be a major blow to a defense that needs to add talent, not subtract key pieces. ESPN's Kalyn Kahler and Ryan McFadden revealed that an NFL executive believes that Crosby is done with Las Vegas after being held out of the final two games.
"Teams have been interested in trading for Crosby multiple times throughout his Raiders career, but Crosby has always wanted to stay a Raider," Kahler and McFadden reported. "But now he's staring at the reality of his sixth Raiders head coach. ... A personnel executive for another club said that he thinks that this time Crosby, 'a pretty principled dude,' is done in Vegas."
RELATED: 10 Raiders players who definitely won't be back after disastrous 2025
Raider Nation should be prepared for an offseason filled with rumors like this regarding Crosby's future, as this report is likely the first of many that will claim the player is no longer happy with the franchise.
The front office must be able to block out the noise and operate as if the two-time All-Pro will be back in Silver and Black in 2026, focusing instead on building a competent defense around him for the first time in his career.
While those plans could certainly change if Crosby formally requests a trade, improving the roster around him and showing that the franchise has a vision that he believes in could alleviate some of his anger from being placed on injured reserve.
The Raiders star has not publicly addressed his future; however, the front office should ensure he is a major part of the incoming staff's defensive plans going forward. Buckle up, though, Raider Nation, it's gonna be a long offseason of rumors and trade proposal ideas.