Raiders' Maxx Crosby shares major update amid 49ers, trade rumors

Resurfaced rumors linking Las Vegas Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby with the San Francisco 49ers have sparked new questions about where he will both begin and end the 2026 NFL season. 

One thing that has been forgotten by some is that the Baltimore Ravens backed out of trading for Crosby in March due to supposed concerns related to the meniscus repair he underwent this past winter. On the latest edition of his "The Rush With Maxx Crosby" podcast, he shared a new update on his injury recovery. 

Maxx Crosby is "ahead of schedule" in recovery amid the summer break

"These past few weeks have been incredible," Crosby said, per Eduardo Razo of Heavy. "Super productive. Super excited. We have a big chunk of this rehab coming up that is the final touch, where I can get cut free. So I’m feeling amazing. Everything’s going incredible. We’re ahead of schedule, feeling amazing, feeling great, and feeling like myself. I’ve got my pep in my step. Being able to do some good work and being able to box, too, for the first time in a long time." 

A report from the final Sunday of June hinted that the 49ers could eventually offer the Raiders a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round choice and second-year edge-rusher Mykel Williams for Crosby. For what it's worth, Crosby recently hinted he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. He and the Raiders agreed to a three-year contract extension last offseason, and he gave no public sign during this past spring that he wanted to be traded before he next plays in a meaningful game. 

Maxx Crosby dealt with "mental warfare" during the early days of recovery

As ESPN's Ryan McFadden noted, Crosby played through a left knee injury from Week 7 of last season up until the Raiders placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 27. During the podcast, Crosby mentioned that part of his rehab involved making sure both of his legs would be good for when he is cleared to fully resume practicing. 

"Everyone knew I was literally on crutches," Crosby continued. "I could not put weight on my foot for two months. People don’t understand that. That was mental warfare. Going through that and finally getting back, your leg is way behind. Your quad is way behind. You have to build that back up, but you also have to keep working on the right leg. Even during the rehab part of it, you don’t want to suddenly get super strong on your left leg while your right one falls behind."

Crosby remains on track to be a Las Vegas player when training-camp workouts get underway later in July. It remains to be seen if he will still be with the Raiders when the in-season trade deadline comes and goes in November.