The Las Vegas Raiders are standing at the edge of one of the most important offseasons in franchise history.
With a new regime in place and a roster in transition, the decisions made over the next few months will quietly shape not just next season—but the identity of the team for years to come.
At the center of it all is a question that once felt unthinkable.
What happens to Maxx Crosby?
For most of his career, Crosby has been untouchable. Not just because of his production, but because of what he represents. Relentless effort. Emotional intensity.
A player who bleeds Silver and Black in a way that feels increasingly rare in the modern NFL. He hasn’t just been the Raiders’ best player—he’s been their emotional anchor.
That’s why the recent shift in tone around his future feels unsettling.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan recently floated Crosby as a potential trade candidate, a suggestion that would have been laughed off in years past.
But after how the season ended in Las Vegas, the idea no longer feels absurd. It feels… possible.
Crosby remains one of the league’s elite pass rushers, the kind of talent that can reshape a defense overnight.
Recent history shows that players of his caliber can command massive returns.
Green Bay’s blockbuster deal for Micah Parsons reset expectations, and while Crosby is entering his age-29 season, his contract structure adds intrigue.
He’s signed through 2029, but his remaining guaranteed money drops significantly after 2026—creating a window where an extension or a major move becomes unavoidable.
On paper, it’s a football decision. In reality, it’s far more complicated.
Late in the season, the Raiders placed Crosby on injured reserve with two games remaining. The move was framed as precautionary, but reports quickly surfaced that Crosby was unhappy.
He left the team facility. The optics weren’t great. Both sides later insisted that things had been smoothed over, yet moments like that tend to linger beneath the surface, even when no one wants to acknowledge them.
When a new front office steps in, every relationship is quietly re-evaluated. Loyalty matters—but timelines matter more.
General manager John Spytek has gone out of his way to publicly praise Crosby, emphasizing his love for the game and the competitive fire that makes him special.
He’s described Crosby as the embodiment of what it means to be a Raider, language designed to reassure fans and stabilize the narrative.
But reassurance doesn’t always equal clarity.
The Raiders are rebuilding. That word changes everything. Rebuilds demand patience, assets, and flexibility. Crosby, for all his greatness, is a finished product entering his prime years.
If the Raiders believe contention is still several seasons away, the temptation to cash in now—while his value is near its peak—becomes harder to ignore.
And yet, trading Crosby would send a message far louder than any press conference ever could.
It would tell the locker room that no one is immune. It would tell the fanbase that culture can be sacrificed for capital.
It would tell the league that the Raiders are starting over in the most literal sense possible.
That’s the tension hovering over Las Vegas right now. Keeping Crosby means committing to building around him quickly and decisively.
Moving him means accepting short-term pain in exchange for long-term hope. Neither path is clean. Neither is safe.
For now, Crosby remains a Raider. He remains the face. He remains the heartbeat. But the fact that his name is even being discussed in these terms signals something deeper shifting inside the organization.
The Raiders don’t have to answer the question today. But the longer they wait, the louder it becomes:
In a new era, can you truly rebuild without letting go of the one player who still feels like home?
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