It only took seven weeks of the 2025 NFL season for fans of the Las Vegas Raiders to count their team out of making a playoff push. With a 2-5 record headed into the Week 8 bye after a brutal loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, many thought they would be sellers at the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
While this may still be true with players like Jakobi Meyers, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Raheem Mostert, Dylan Parham or even Malcolm Koonce, Raider Nation could not wrap their heads around reports that Maxx Crosby could be on the trade block.
Fortunately, just as quickly as the rumors surfaced, they were dispelled entirely. Las Vegas has no intention of trading away its star player, which is good news for the team and fan base, but it also makes the next step incredibly obvious and very important.
Raiders need to sit Maxx Crosby and let him fully heal from injury
Crosby left Sunday's game against the Chiefs with a knee and back injury, playing just 40 of a possible 77 snaps. Raiders fans know how much Crosby loves competing against Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, so the ailment must be relatively severe for him to sit out.
During the bye week, Las Vegas practiced on both Tuesday and Wednesday before getting a break. But according to Silver & Black Sports Network's Jesse Merrick, Crosby did not participate in either practice, and instead, was at the facility getting treatment.
These practices were obviously important, as players were participating if they were physically able to. Both Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers returned to the practice field, so Crosby's not even being limited, but out entirely, indicates that he is far from 100%.
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Given that the Raiders, in a lost season, are making it known that they will not trade Crosby for what would be a mountain of picks, it means that he is deemed an essential part of the team's future. As such, Las Vegas should protect him and not risk further injury.
The Raiders aren't going anywhere in 2025, so they should not be putting Crosby in harm's way until he is fully healed. This is easier said than done, as the star edge rusher doesn't even want to take a single play off, let alone a game or an extended amount of time.
But health is wealth in the NFL, and when the Raiders eventually turn this thing around and need a star edge rusher to impact the game, Crosby can't be sidelined because the team failed to protect him from himself in a series of ultimately meaningless games.
Between extending him this offseason and immediately dispelling the trade rumors, the new regime in Las Vegas is clearly all-in on Crosby as the franchise's centerpiece. It may hurt to not have him out there in the short-term, but he has to be out there for the long-term if the Raiders want to return to greatness. That starts with forcing him to take the proper time off and letting him fully heal.