A strained relationship and controversial shutdown could force the Raiders' star pass rusher out, sparking league-wide trade speculation.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of questions to answer this offseason. The first one is the status of head coach Pete Carroll, who is finishing up his first year in Sin City.
But, a new report suggests that Carroll could be one and done, whether that is retirement or a firing.
Another question is about star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who was forced to sit out the final two games via a decision from the franchise. And, Crosby did not take it too well, but preferred to play and be there for his teammates.
The fallout from that decision remains to be seen, but there is a scenario where the Raiders move on from Crosby and trade him this offseason, and Dianna Russini of The Athletic had the latest on that front.
"Maxx Crosby’s Raiders future is also being questioned around the league. Las Vegas shut down its five-time Pro Bowler last week against his wishes, and the relationship between the sides remains strained. It’s a dramatic shift from just two months ago, when Crosby and Davis nixed any trade discussions ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline. Many believe Las Vegas will be open to moving its star pass rusher if the relationship remains at an impasse, allowing Crosby, who will turn 29 this summer, an opportunity to compete on a team built to win now."
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports had spoken with Crosby after the decision came from Las Vegas, and the star pass rusher was adamant that he could play.
"I've been on the phone with Maxx a bunch over the last couple of days and he's not happy," Glazer said. "He was like, ‘Jay, I play football. This is what I do. I’ve had a knee injury since Week 3 that I've played with the entire time. They told me they were shutting me down, I was like, no, absolutely not. I play football. There's no shutting it down for me. I want to be out there. I want to be out there with my teammates.' It just wasn't acceptable to Maxx."
Now, Crosby has 10 sacks this season, and he is turning 29 years old at the end of August, so if he was available on the market, it wouldn't be surprising to see a flurry of teams inquire about him.
So, there is a path where Carroll and Crosby (and maybe more) are not with Las Vegas once the 2026 season begins.