Maxx Crosby left the Raiders’ building this week after learning he was going to be held out of Sunday’s game with a lingering knee injury, but not a lot has been reported on Crosby’s mindset or the direction the situation might be headed.
Some have downplayed Crosby’s decision to leave the building, but it’s worth noting that Brock Bowers was sent to injured reserve this week with no news around his reaction.
Crosby is clearly upset and league insider Jay Glazer expanded on the All-Pro pass rusher’s mindset on Sunday afternoon.
“Look, I’ve been on the phone with Maxx a bunch over the last couple days,” Glazer said on FOX NFL Sunday.
“[Maxx] is not happy. He’s like, ‘Jay, I play football. This is what I do, I’ve had a knee injury since like Week 3, I’ve played with it the entire time. They told me they’re 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,” Glazer continued. “Remember back at the trade deadline, guys, I said that Maxx Crosby told me and told the Raiders, ‘I don’t want to get traded anywhere, no matter what.’ You got to wonder now if that still holds true, despite this.”
As some have pointed out, Pete Carroll appeared to be fine with Crosby’s decision to leave the team, but it would be naive to assume Carroll represents the thinking of those he answers to in the organization.
Many believe Carroll is fighting for his job in the final two weeks of the season, and there’s a chance that dynamic played into Crosby’s reaction to being shut down (presumably for the season).
As for Glazer’s comments on a potential trade, it’s highly unlikely he would bring up that idea if he didn’t have some kind of indication from Crosby that he might be open to a change of scenery.
Look for trade rumors around Crosby to ramp up in the weeks ahead, particularly if he isn’t happy with the direction the organization goes with their head coach in 2026.
In October, Crosby was clear that he didn’t want to leave the Raiders, but it seems obvious from the outside that the situation has evolved in the last two months.
x: @raidersbeat
Obtaining the best quarterback available in 2026 may be the ultimate goal for the Raiders. It’s cheaper overall than trying to trade for the first pick of the draft, and having the first pick in the draft will leave them their higher picks than if they trade up. At this point there is nothing to gain by winning.
I want to keep Maxx. We can rebuild the OL with 1 or 2 guys, Lindebaum is a must, and the tackles from Colts/Packers need to be considered.
Then we have a QB on a rookie deal & an elite pass rusher. Maybe sign Mack opposite Crosby
It was the Raiders that made Cosby sit out . It was clearly not Max choice. Therefore Davis better pay Max all bonuses due.
Build up around Maxx and provide an elite defense with his leadership! Don’t trade him for “draft pics’. We know how wel this has worked for us in the past!