Maxx Crosby is not going anywhere. That was the message from ESPN’s Adam Schefter this week when asked about the recurring trade rumors surrounding the Raiders defensive end, and it is exactly what you would expect from a team that just spent a first-round pick on a quarterback and is trying to build a real defense around him.
Schefter said on air that he would be surprised if Crosby was traded before the season. That is the kind of statement that shuts down the rumor mill temporarily, though these things always come back. Crosby’s name has been in trade speculation for basically every deadline since 2022, and every time the answer has been the same. He is not available.
The reason the rumors persist is the Raiders’ situation. Las Vegas has been mediocre or worse since Crosby entered the league in 2019, and Crosby has emerged as one of the best defensive players in football on a team that keeps failing to compete around him. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the two or three best edge rushers in the AFC. Any playoff team would love to add him.
The Raiders’ logic for keeping him is straightforward. Tom Brady, now a minority owner, has invested in a long-term rebuild under head coach Pete Carroll. Trading away your best defensive player would send the wrong message to the young players you are trying to develop. Crosby is also under contract on a team-friendly deal that runs through 2029, so there is no financial pressure to move him.
What is different about this iteration of trade rumors is that Crosby himself has publicly expressed frustration with the state of the franchise multiple times over the last two seasons. He has hinted, though never demanded, that he wants to compete for championships. That is the kind of quiet pressure that eventually forces a team’s hand.
The Raiders’ plan is to speed up the timeline. They drafted a franchise quarterback in this year’s class. They upgraded the offensive line in free agency. The defense already has Crosby and a few young pieces that could grow into starters. On paper, this is a team that could go from four wins to eight wins in a year if things break right.
The realistic timeline for real contention is still 2027 to 2028 at the earliest. Whether Crosby is willing to wait that long is the actual question. He is 29 years old and entering his athletic prime. Every year he spends on a losing team is a year he does not get back.
The other factor is trade value. If the Raiders ever did decide to move Crosby, they could get a haul of first-round picks and young players in return. That is the kind of deal that could accelerate a rebuild in ways free agency never could. But Las Vegas would have to decide that the future is more important than the present, and Brady’s involvement suggests they are trying to have it both ways.
For now, Crosby is a Raider. He will be terrorizing AFC West quarterbacks in September. And the trade rumors will come back at the November deadline, and again in the offseason. That is just how it works when your best player is stuck on a franchise that has not been to the playoffs in years.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
