The Las Vegas Raiders may have found themselves locked in an awkward situation with Maxx Crosby.
The superstar edge rusher will now have his fifth head coach in since being drafted in 2019, and the frustration is palpable. This comes after he was the most vocal in keeping then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who was fired from the full-time gig on Tuesday.
On his podcast “The Rush,” Crosby publicly voiced his frustrations on the constant turmoil surrounding the only team he has ever been a part of.
“I believed in AP,” Crosby said. “It’s unfortunate… Being with the Raiders, I’m gonna be on a new head coach again. This will be the fifth head coach I’ve had, or whatever. So we’ll see.”
While Crosby never explicitly mentioned the idea of a trade, his comments were the catalyst to getting the trade rumors up and running again.
This time, NFL analyst Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team brought up three potential trade partners the Raiders could have for Crosby: the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.
“Crosby would be an ideal fit in (Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme,” said Brooke on the Packers.
“In addition to being a legitimate pass rusher, Crosby has the size, length, and play strength to handle the point of attack in the run game as a 4-3 defensive end. It’s an ideal fit for both parties, provided that (Packers general manager) Brian Gutekunst is willing to take on the rest of Crosby’s contract while giving up some significant draft capital for a “win now” move.”
For the Packers, Brooke pitches Crosby as what they need to push the team over the hump. In order to compete with a strong NFC North and complement an emerging offense, Crosby coming in to assist the defense would give them the consistent pass rusher they need.
The Patriots and Commanders, while on opposite ends of the NFL hierarchy, are mentioned for largely similar reasons: their defenses are in desperate need of improvement, and they have the cap space and draft capital to make a Crosby trade work.
“On top of having nine picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots also have the most cap space in the league this offseason, nearly $124 million,” said Brooke on the Patriots. “Plus, they have a massive need for a top-tier pass rusher.”
While the Patriots have less of a chance to land Crosby due to sharing a conference with the Raiders, securing prime draft capital for the star edge rusher would be an interesting possibility for whoever the new general manager is.
“The Commanders still have $99 million in cap space this offseason and have enough draft capital (particularly in 2026) to take a big swing on a player like Crosby,” said Brooke on Washington.
“A great quarterback on a rookie deal should have the Commanders feeling like their Super Bowl window is already open. A move for Crosby could make them one of the most exciting teams in the NFC.”
With likely Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels emerging as a revelation in his first season, the Commanders will be an interesting team to watch as they potentially get more aggressive in the wake of their sudden success.
Until Crosby publicly requests a trade, it is unlikely that one occurs so soon. Depending on the new hires at coach and general manager, however, the relationship between team and player could hang in the balance.
Raiders rumored to trade Maxx Crosby to Super Bowl contender
