Rome was obviously not going to be built quickly in Las Vegas, but the 2025 NFL season has not gone well for the Raiders. Questions about the future of prominent people have started to surface, which has Raider Nation on an edge they thought they wouldn't have to be on again for a while.
As the in-season trade deadline approached, one player stood above the rest as a trade candidate for the Raiders: veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. On deadline day, Meyers was indeed dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When the offseason comes, other players in Las Vegas may move toward the trade block in an effort for the Raiders to fortify their future with extra draft capital. Who some of those players may be is yet to be determined, and will largely be dictated by how the rest of another lost season goes.
Raiders' proposed offseason trade chip would bring dose of harsh reality
On Friday, with the trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon listed the biggest offseason trade chip for each NFL team. For the Raiders, the name of said player lands rather harshly.
Maxx Crosby.
"The four-time Pro Bowler will be 29 next year, and it's looking increasingly likely that he peaked in 2022 and 2023," Gagnon wrote. "The Raiders just gave him a hefty contract extension, but they can save nearly $31 million in salary-cap space by trading Crosby this offseason. It's got to be a consideration, especially if they're holding out hope for Tyree Wilson, and/or if a Crosby deal can help them land their next franchise quarterback."
Obviously, getting a franchise quarterback is priority No. 1 for the fan base, and it should be for the organization as well. Crosby shouldn't have to be a casualty of finding one, however, as Wilson, nor Malcolm Koonce, for that matter, is likely to ever develop into a Crosby-like player in Las Vegas.
To be fair, though, regarding Gagnon's assessment that Crosby has declined, his raw production and advanced numbers back up that statement as well. But Crosby is still a top-30 overall graded edge rusher this season by Pro Football Focus, equally good as a pass rusher and a run defender.
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Despite rampant losing throughout the majority of his career in the Silver and Black, Crosby has been dedicated to seeing a turnaround through to fruition. But will he get to a point where frustration turns into direct action, like asking to be traded? Or will the franchise see him as their way out of this mess?
As Gagnon hinted, Crosby's contract is as tradeable as any big contract you'll ever see. According to Over The Cap, trading him in the offseason would clear $30.78 million in cap space, with just $5.1 million left in dead money. It's almost as if John Spytek and Co. saw this as a possibility all along.
For as long as Crosby is on the Raiders' roster, he will be a pillar against all the negativity that seems to always be lurking around him. Trading him, during the offseason, or ever, for that matter, would be devastating for the fan base.
But it would also be a full acknowledgement of the harsh reality that this franchise is facing, which is that they will not improve without drastic measures. Crosby deserves to be a part of the Raiders' success, if they ever get there, but this move would indicate that they don't think they're close.