The Las Vegas Raiders were somehow at the center of the NFL world during the lead-up to Super Bowl LX. Although the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots were facing off in the final game of the 2025 season, seemingly all anyone wanted to talk about was Klint Kubiak and Maxx Crosby.
Kubiak, of course, confirmed after the Seahawks' victory that he will, indeed, be the next head coach of the Raiders. The talk around Crosby, however, was a bit less exciting, as various reports indicated that the superstar may want out of Las Vegas, and Crosby didn't directly deny those rumors.
Although smoke seems to be pluming quite a bit around the idea that Crosby may want to be traded, or that the Raiders want to deal him, nothing has been confirmed. Las Vegas isn't calling teams about a Crosby deal, and the five-time Pro Bowler has not officially requested to be traded.
But the latest report from Jason LaCanfora, formerly of NFL Network, is about the closest thing to it, if true.
Maxx Crosby allegedly told Tom Brady he's done playing for the Raiders
Reportedly, LaCanfora spoke to an anonymous NFL general manager about the ongoing saga between Crosby and the Raiders. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shared the report, in which the aforementioned anonymous general manager dropped a bit of a bombshell.
“He told Tom Brady he will never play for the Raiders again,” the anonymous GM said. “That’s a fact. He told them he’ll retire before he ever plays for them again. But I’m not sure they’re actually going to trade him. Myles Garrett said the same thing last year, and we know how that ended up.”
Okay, let's unpack this.
Obviously, Raider Nation doesn't necessarily want to hear that Crosby is making a stink with Brady and asking out of Las Vegas, if this report is true. If the end is near for the longtime Raider, the fanbase surely hopes things end amicably and with an understanding from both sides.
First of all, it seems a bit weird that another NFL general manager would know about the innerworkings of the Raiders' organization, especially because things have been a sealed vault this offseason in Las Vegas under Brady and John Spytek.
The only conceivable reason that this intel would be public knowledge is if the team is already shopping Crosby. Obviously, they can't trade him until the new league year starts, but the front office could potentially be throwing out feelers already.
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Another component of this report that sticks out as a bit questionable is the idea that Crosby would rather retire than play for the Raiders again. This is the same guy who, a month and a half ago, left the building because he was so frustrated that he couldn't play for Las Vegas.
Yes, a lot can change in a month. Maybe Crosby did say this, and it was just a leverage play or a ploy to get the Raiders to trade him. But Crosby loves football too much and is working too hard on his rehab to hang up his cleats. That is a fact, and so some context is perhaps missing from this report.
Comparing Crosby's situation to Garrett's from last year is interesting. Garrett and the Browns eventually mended the fences, and Garrett turned that frustration into a record-setting, Defensive Player of the Year campaign. Raider Nation would love it if things played out similarly for Crosby.
At the same time, it's hard to ignore the growing sentiment that Crosby could be on his way out of Las Vegas. Too much has surfaced in the time since the reported big blow-up between the two sides for this all to be nothing. Something is rumbling behind the scenes; it's just difficult to tell exactly what.
As for this report, as always, take it with a grain of salt. Crosby's camp and the Raiders' front office are likely fighting a proxy war through the media, and when Kubiak is eventually hired, all the sides should huddle up and figure out a path forward.
Whatever they decide, nothing should come before the Shield. Whatever is best for the Silver and Black is what the Raiders should do, no matter how painful it is or what the optics look like. Las Vegas needs to build a winner, and if Crosby is on board, great. If he's not, sayonara.