derek carr maxx crosby
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Derek Carr with Maxx Crosby.
Maxx Crosby wasn’t supposed to be a Las Vegas Raider this season. He quietly told the team that he’d like to be moved months ago, and it looked like they were granting his wish, as it was reported that they were sending him to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks.
However, the Ravens pulled the rug out from under the Raiders and decided to back out of the trade. Crosby is now back in Las Vegas, and it’s not entirely clear what the plan is.
Crosby isn’t exactly what people would call “laid back.” Former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr knows the star defensive end well from their playing days. He believes the Ravens possibly just unlocked a side of Crosby that could end up being a problem for them and the entire NFL.
“All I know is that whatever is happening with Maxx Crosby, all you’re doing is digging the chip on his shoulder even deeper,” Carr said on the “Home Grown” podcast. “And I feel bad for any quarterback. If you’re a tight end … that plays Maxx Crosby next year, (good luck), brother. You thought he had a motor before, you wait until that surgically repaired knee gets 100%, and he’s running rampant through your offensive line and your backfield.”
Sounds Like Crosby Wants to Return to Raiders
While trades have fallen through in the past, this might be the most high-profile failed trade in NFL history. Crosby and the Raiders left on good terms, so returning to Las Vegas, where he knows he’s valued and the team is loyal to him, has to be somewhat appealing.
Based on what Crosby is now saying, it sounds like he’s not going to push the Raiders to trade him anymore.
“Everything Happens For A Reason,” Crosby wrote on X. “Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. Im A Raider. I’m Back. Run That (expletive).”
That doesn’t mean the Raiders won’t still end up trading him, but there won’t be pressure from his end.
Raiders Telling Teams Crosby Isn’t Available for Now
It didn’t seem like the Raiders were very eager to trade Crosby. The notion of getting two first-round picks had to have them somewhat excited, but the chances that either of those picks would turn into a player as good as Crosby are unlikely.
This does throw a wrench in the Raiders’ plans, but for now, it sounds like the team doesn’t want to trade Crosby anymore, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
“Per a league source, the Raiders are currently telling teams that defensive end Maxx Crosby won’t be traded, in the aftermath of the failed effort to ship him to the Ravens for a pair of first-round picks,” Florio wrote.
“The Raiders, we’re told, never wanted to trade him. He wanted out. Now that he’s back and has publicly recommitted to the Raiders, he’s staying put.”
The Raiders have no incentive to trade him for a lesser package right now. They could always take a lesser package down the road. They’re better off waiting until the dust settles and bringing Crosby back or trying to get at least one first-round pick in a trade.