Many in Raider Nation are skeptical of a “report” suggesting that Maxx Crosby might be traded by the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Let’s face it, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini isn’t exactly a favorite among the fans.
Russini dropped a familiar NFL offseason sentence: the Raiders, for the first time, are believed to be open to moving Maxx Crosby, with the relationship “strained” after the team shut him down.
In other words, Las Vegas has reached the phase of the winter where “commitment to excellence” meets “please hold while we check offers.” This is not scandalous. It is payroll math with shoulder pads. “Open” does not mean “eager.” It means the phone is no longer on silent.
Jay Glazer’s reporting filled in the human part. Crosby didn’t love being told to sit, and he left the facility after disagreeing with the plan; that tracks. Crosby plays like a man who thinks “rest” is what you do after you sack the quarterback.
What is really going on with the Raiders and Maxx Crosby?
But the league’s favorite game is not football. It is a translation. “Strained relationship” can mean a genuine fracture. It can also mean a star is mad, a team is protecting an asset, and everyone involved is leaking just enough to keep leverage warm.
The Athletic’s Mike Silver framed the cold reality: the Raiders may decide the cleanest reset is turning their best player into the picks they don’t have. When a franchise is staring at another reboot, a premium edge rusher becomes less a cornerstone and more a down payment.
If Las Vegas actually shops him, the bidding will not start with feelings. It will start with first-rounders, medicals and a contract spreadsheet. That is the NFL’s love language. The Mack flashbacks will be unavoidable. So will the arguments.
Raiders fans, meanwhile, are doing the only reasonable thing. They are holding two thoughts at once. Crosby is the face of the team. Crosby is also the rare player who could bring back the kind of haul that changes a roster in one spring.
And there is the complication Russini’s tweet can’t solve: Crosby’s life is not only football. Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask suggested his business ties to Tom Brady and Jim Gray could make a clean breakup less likely. If that is true, “open to moving him” might be less about desire and more about due diligence.
So, yes, file it under “possible.” Keep the jokes. Keep the skepticism. Whether anyone likes it or not, this is the start of a long offseason for the Raiders.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images