The Las Vegas Raiders have quite the Maxx Crosby puzzle to figure out this offseason. He earned a record-breaking contract extension from the new leadership tandem of John Spytek and Pete Carroll last March, but just under a year later, his future with the franchise is seemingly in question.
Crosby was shut down for the season with just two games left in the campaign, and he caused quite a stir when he reportedly "stormed" out of the building. The rumor mill slowed down when he returned to the team facility and was on-hand for the Week 18 finale, showing his teammates plenty of love.
Firing Pete Carroll, who was Crosby's close confidant during all of the drama, has complicated the equation even further. It is now the Spytek and Tom Brady show, who most presume to have been behind Crosby's benching, and now they'll have to reason with the superstar defensive end.
John Spytek wouldn't say Maxx Crosby trade is off the table for Raiders
For the first time in months, Spytek came out of hiding and spoke to the media after Carroll's firing became public on Monday. A reporter directly asked him if Crosby was untradeable or untouchable this offseason, and fans noticed what Spytek didn't say.
"I have a lot of respect for Maxx and how much he loves to play the game," Spytek said. "I've had the opportunity in the last several weeks to spend a lot of time with Maxx, and I think it's been well documented that he didn't love the idea of not playing football, and I think you always want that from your best players. In fact, I think that's why they're your best players. So, I love Maxx. He embodies what a Raider is. I've been pretty upfront with that from the day that I sat up here almost a year ago, and I continue to believe that."
So... no? Yes?
Spytek practically tipped his hand immediately. As soon as he started with something other than "yes," fans noticed. Sure, he talked about Crosby being the embodiment of a Raider, but everyone knows that, and that is a far cry from him saying the All-Pro defensive end is off limits.
This was a golden opportunity for Spytek to shut down the countless rumors swirling around Crosby, and to head into the offseason with some clarity. A chance to spare the front office, the fan base, the locker room, and Crosby himself from trade proposal ideas and the like. But Spytek didn't do that.
RELATED: 10 Raiders players who definitely won't be back after disastrous 2025
Instead, he left plenty up to speculation. When a star player is alleged to be unhappy, and the general manager doesn't definitively shut down the trade rumors when explicitly asked, it's a bit like giving a mouse a cookie. The media is going to run with that non-answer and flood the space with trade ideas.
Spytek made it clear that this team is looking to rebuild and that they need to do it the right way. As we continue to say, Crosby deserves to be part of the Silver and Black's eventual success, and as the team's best defensive player, he could be a pivotal part of it.
But Spytek, although still a bit inexperienced in this exact role, has plenty of background with successful franchises that have built their team from the ground up through the draft and turned them into Lombardi Trophies. Multiple times.
Crosby may be deemed more valuable as a trade chip if Spytek determines that his prime years don't line up with the Raiders' timeline. He could even trade Crosby out of respect for him. In a way, Las Vegas can't lose, as they'll either have Crosby in the building or at least two more first-rounders.
Definitively saying which way the franchise will go is for people with crystal balls. We don't have one. But Spytek's comments certainly lead one to think that a trade will at least be entertained or considered this offseason, simply because the general manager wouldn't say otherwise.