Las Vegas Raiders fans are no strangers to drama, as the organization has constantly found itself in the news cycle for all the wrong reasons. That has been the case since Week 17 of the 2025 season, when the team chose to place Maxx Crosby on injured reserve ahead of the final two games of the year.
The five-time Pro Bowler was mum on his future for the next few months before news broke last Friday that Las Vegas agreed to trade him to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks, including the No. 14 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. While the deal signaled a rebuild, general manager John Spytek has been aggressive in free agency, adding plenty of talent to the roster.
Four days after the trade was agreed to and Crosby was seemingly no longer a Raider, Baltimore backed out of the pact, and the superstar was back in Las Vegas. While there has been speculation that a deal may not be off the table, Mike Florio reported that the Raiders will not trade the face of the franchise.
Maxx Crosby could be in the Silver and Black for the foreseeable future
After the deal to send Crosby to the Ravens was cancelled, Raiders fans were left wondering what it meant for his future. After all, he did request a trade from the franchise. Still, it was not hard to realize that Las Vegas would struggle to find a team willing to meet its asking price of two first-round picks.
The two-time All-Pro issued his first statement since returning to the Raiders, seemingly re-committing to the organization. Of course, it takes two to tango, and nobody knew how Las Vegas' front office would feel about keeping him in Silver and Black. Pro Football Talk's Florio reported that the Raiders have told inquiring teams that he is no longer on the market.
"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. 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."
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While the draft capital Las Vegas was set to receive certainly would've assisted in a rebuild, the team gets back one of the league's premier players. Crosby has been a dominant force seemingly since the Raiders took him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Additionally, contrary to what had been reported, his desire to leave was not due to a rift with the organization. Instead, it was fueled by a desire to win, as Crosby noted that he would always be a Raider and hoped to return one day in his since-deleted 13-minute goodbye video.
While the roster had many holes at the time he appeared to be traded, Spytek has done a tremendous job in free agency. Crosby now returns to a team that, on paper, fields the best defense he has had around him in his career.
Furthermore, Crosby has a strong relationship with new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, who served as his defensive line coach the previous three seasons. While it seemed like he was out the door, it now appears that the past issues may be water under the bridge.
If Florio's sources are correct, Raider Nation should look forward to seeing #98 wreak havoc on opposing offenses in 2026.