There is a sense of inevitability that the Las Vegas Raiders will be putting out a team without Maxx Crosby in 2026.
The Raiders finished the regular season bottom of the AFC West with a 3-14 record.
Their Pete Carroll experiment didn’t work and he was dismissed early in the offseason. He will likely be replaced by Klint Kubiak after his Super Bowl LX duties with the Seattle Seahawks are over.
Kubiak will be faced with immediate challenges, including the first-overall selection in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
The Raiders are expected to take highly-touted QB Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana to their first undefeated season in program history.
NFL icon, and minority owner Tom Brady will ensure the Raiders’ QB choice has the right work ethic.
The other issue facing the franchise is the future of edge-rusher Crosby, whose name is appearing in numerous trade rumours.
NFL Insider says Crosby has played last snap for Raiders
In an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily, FOX Sports NFL Insider Jay Glazer replied “I do,” when asked if he thinks Crosby’s time with the Raiders is over.
Glazer also hinted that a trade package to acquire the All-Pro would cost more than what the Green Bay Packers sent to the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons — All Pro Kenny Clark and two firsts.
There was a defining moment from the 2025 season that has put Crosby’s future in doubt.
His relationship with the franchise seemed to crack when they shut him down for the final two regular season games despite the 28-year-old claiming he was healthy enough to play.
Fans believed Las Vegas were purposely tanking to receive the No. 1 pick in the draft, and didn’t want him to injure himself giving 100 percent on the field.
“So, the day it happened, no less than 20 teams called me and said, ‘Dude is this real? Can we get him? What’s it for?,’” Glazer recalled when the news of the Raiders sitting him broke.
“I’m not going through another rebuild,” he claims that Maxx told him.
Crosby told reporter ideal destination as trade rumours heat up
Recent rumours have suggested the New England Patriots are one of the top teams vying to add Crosby’s services.
New England are preparing to play the biggest game of the season against the Seahawks on Super Bowl Sunday.
But win or lose, they are set up to be a contending team for years, largely thanks to Head Coach Mike Vrabel, and MVP-candidate Drake Maye.
“As for this upcoming offseason, outside of just free agency, the thing that I’m going to be watching are these players who perhaps want trades,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported.
“Maxx Crosby doesn’t seem to be happy in Las Vegas. Is he going to ask for [a trade] officially and ask out.
“I can tell you, I know he wants to play for Vrabel. He has told me that before.”
The Patriots’ 2026 roster could end up being even better than this year’s if Crosby’s ambition comes true.
