Door reportedly open for surprising ending to Raiders, Maxx Crosby saga

As recently as before this past weekend, it seemed to be a matter of when and not if star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders would agree to a divorce that would result in the Raiders trading Crosby to an advertised championship contender. 

That may not necessarily be the case. 

Is Maxx Crosby completely done with Raiders? 

Per Adam La Rose of Pro Football Rumors and Jordy McElroy of Patriots Wire/USA Today, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared on Monday that Crosby may still be willing to continue playing for the Raiders. That's noteworthy, as a previous report claimed that Crosby told Raiders minority owner Tom Brady at some point this winter that he would "never play for" Las Vegas again.

Crosby initially became unhappy with those running the Raiders when he was shut down for the remainder of the season against his wishes in late December because of a knee injury. Since that time, Crosby has had some positive talks with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. Breer also noted that Crosby has a strong relationship with Raiders principal owner Mark Davis.

Crosby and the Raiders agreed to a three-year, $106.5M contract extension last offseason. As Vegas sports reporter Nick Walters noted, Breer said on Monday that Crosby "has always wanted to be a one-team guy." Crosby has featured only for the Raiders since they drafted him in 2019.

Update on Maxx Crosby, Patriots rumors

Stories linked Crosby with the New England Patriots even before the Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Breer hinted that the Patriots and Seahawks could both pursue Crosby if the Raiders make him available. 

"I think Crosby would have at least some desire, potentially, to play for (Patriots head coach) Mike Vrabel," Breer added. "He knows Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator there, who wouldn't be coaching him directly but was with him in Vegas." 

McDaniels was Crosby's head coach in Vegas from the start of the 2022 season through a portion of the 2023 campaign. 

Multiple stories have suggested that the Raiders may want similar or more than what the Dallas Cowboys received in return from the Green Bay Packers for Micah Parsons to trade Crosby this spring or summer. Back in August 2025, the Packers sent the Cowboys two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons.

For now, it seems there is at least some chance that Crosby will have additional chats with Kubiak before the 28-year-old makes a significant decision regarding his playing future.