Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but there is little doubt that this is a big offseason for the Raiders and star defensive end Maxx Crosby. So far, the team has, for the third time in four years, overhauled the front office and coaching staff, now bringing in coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek to replace coach Antonio Pierce and GM Tom Telesco after just one season.
While Crosby remains among the best handful of pass-rushers in the NFL, and has been so since he entered the league in 2019, it’s become clear that the instability in the organization, the lack of direction and, ultimately, the lack of winning, is grating on him. This is a guy, after all, who had 27.0 sacks in the two seasons before 2024, and had 7.5 sacks last year despite being limited to 12 games with an ankle injury.
Given the poor overall state of the franchise, there has been ample speculation about Crosby’s future and whether he might seek a trade from the Raiders. That has not happened, but for the first time here in 2025, there have been indications that he’s thinking about it.
Maxx Crosby Could Get $96 Million Contract
The first reason for that is his contract. Crosby has two years and $43 million on his contract. None of that money is guaranteed. He is one of the top candidates in the NFL for a new contract, and that gives him some leverage. Spotrac projects him as warranting a three-year, $96 million contract.
Spytek addressed the issue at the NFL scouting combine. And while he was noncommittal on the timing of a new deal or extension, he made a strong statement on his intention to keep Crosby off the trade block.
“I don’t want to make any predictions or speak too much about that, I just want to say I have an immense amount of respect for Maxx,” Spytek said. “No. 1, the way he plays the game, the passion that he plays with, this is what Pete and I talk about—we want to be what a Raider looks like. And he is a great, shining example of that. He is also a really skilled and talented player on top of it, too. I envision Maxx being a Raider for a long time here. I think that’s what he wants, too, and we’ll go forward from there.”
Raiders Under Pressure to Improve Quickly
Crosby has, to this point, been a company man through and through for the Raiders, but since the end of the season, he has been taking a more aggressive approach in his dealings with the front office. He has not been direct in his threats, but his massage has been clear—get this turned around or else.
Before the hiring of Carroll, Crosby said on his podcast, ““There’s gonna be a lot of decisions to be made, not only on a personal level. But I’ve gotta make the decision that is best for me. I am gonna see. Obviously, we don’t know what the coach is gonna look like, the front office, there is going to be a lot of changes.”
He continued: “We’re gonna see what happens. For me, I truly, I love being a Raider. I want to win here. I want to win with the Raiders. But we’ll see. There’s going to be a lot of change. I am going to take it one day at a time, that is literally all I can control.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Raiders GM Makes Strong Statement on Maxx Crosby Trade Rumors appeared first on Heavy Sports.