The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for the 2026 NFL season and are hoping to have much better fortunes than it had a year ago. It certainly helps that they still have superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby on the roster.
Crosby reportedly sought a trade away from the Raiders in the offseason. At first, it appeared as if Vegas granted this request. They agreed to a trade with the Baltimore Ravens before the 2026 NFL Draft. However, Baltimore backed out of the deal, citing a failed physical.
For now, the former Eastern Michigan star remains with the Raiders. At the same time, his future in Las Vegas is a bit unclear. Especially given that the trade rumors surrounding him aren’t quieting down in the slightest.
Raiders GM Makes Feelings Clear on Maxx Crosby’s Future in Vegas
There are a number of teams reportedly interested in Crosby’s services, such as the Dallas Cowboys. For now, all that talk is simply that: talk. Raiders general manager John Spytek believes it will remain that way, at least for now.
“People do what they do,” Spytek said, via NFL analyst Charles Robinson. “I’m just trying to make the Raiders as good as possible. Right now Maxx is here and I have every expectation that he’ll be here.”
Of course, this is far from a concrete answer. This makes sense considering the fluid situation at hand. At the same time, a Crosby trade may be a bit complicated to pull off before Week 1 of the season.
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It’s hard to overstate just how much impact Crosby has on this team. He has emerged as one of the premier edge rushers in the game. Last season, despite missing two games, he finished fifth on PFN’s EDGE Impact Metric with an impact score of 89.3.
Crosby recorded 10 sacks on the year in 2025 while playing 15 games. Toward the end of the season, he suffered a knee injury that resulted in surgery after the season ended. He did not play in Vegas’s final two games of the season as a result of this injury.
Vegas is in a position to take more of a step in 2026. They revamped the quarterback position, signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Fernando Mendoza. They also hired Klint Kubiak as head coach after he won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in February.
The Raiders believe they are set up well for the future. It’s a future they hope will involve Crosby, but whether that comes to pass remains to be seen.
