The Maxx Crosby era in Las Vegas may be nearing an uncomfortable, unresolved ending.
What once looked like a lifelong marriage between franchise and face of the defense now feels fragile, strained, and quietly drifting toward a breaking point.
And if Crosby does end up leaving the Raiders, there’s one destination that keeps surfacing — not a team, but a coach.
That coach is Mike Vrabel.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Crosby has made his admiration for the Patriots’ head coach known for some time. Speaking this week on Boston’s “Zolak & Bertrand,” Russini didn’t hedge.
“I can tell you, I know he wants to play for Mike Vrabel,” she said. “He’s told me before.”
That one sentence reframed months of speculation.
Crosby’s 2025 season didn’t end quietly. After battling through knee issues, the Raiders decided to shut him down for the final two games.
Crosby did not take the news well. He left the team facility abruptly — a move that instantly raised alarms across the league.
Shortly afterward, Crosby posted clips on social media showing himself shooting basketballs and jumping on a trampoline.
Whether the videos were old or recent almost didn’t matter. The message many fans and executives took away was clear: this didn’t feel like a mutual decision.
Crosby later appeared on the “Let’s Go!” podcast, carefully choosing his words. He avoided directly criticizing the Raiders, but his comments carried weight.
“When it comes to football, there’s certain things that I truly believe in… You play to win. You play for your teammates.
You put everything you have into the game. There’s gonna be bumps and bruises. That’s the nature of the beast.”
It didn’t sound like a man at peace.
It sounded like a man questioning alignment.
At the start of January, Crosby underwent knee surgery. Physically, he should be fine. Contractually, he still has three years left on his deal. But context matters more than paperwork.
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer added fuel to the fire this week, saying he believes Crosby’s time in Las Vegas is over — even though the Raiders are not actively shopping him.
Any trade, Glazer noted, would come at an enormous cost, potentially exceeding what Green Bay paid to acquire Micah Parsons.
And yet, if Crosby pushes for a move, leverage shifts.
Despite the turbulence, Crosby’s production never dipped. In just 15 games, he posted 10 sacks and 73 tackles, once again proving he’s among the league’s most relentless edge defenders.
This isn’t a decline story. It’s a direction story.
That’s where Mike Vrabel enters the picture.
Vrabel’s Patriots are fresh off an AFC title, built on physicality, accountability, and defensive identity — all traits Crosby has long embodied.
Vrabel isn’t a players’ coach in the soft sense. He’s demanding. Direct. Old-school. And for certain players, that’s not a deterrent — it’s a draw.
Crosby has never hidden what he values in football. Effort. Toughness. Winning. Respect. In many ways, Vrabel represents the structure Crosby appears to be craving right now.
Whether the Patriots can realistically acquire him is another question entirely. The cost would be massive. The timing complicated. The politics delicate.
But one thing is becoming harder to ignore.
As questions swirl around Crosby’s future in Las Vegas, his desired future doesn’t seem random at all. It’s focused. Intentional. And tied to a coach who sees the game the same way he does.
Sometimes, when a player stops talking about a team and starts talking about principles, the ending has already begun.
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