Raiders GM Makes Feelings Clear on Maxx Crosby Situation

It’s been a rollercoaster offseason for Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby after he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks. However, the trade was never made official after Crosby failed a physical, leading to the Ravens backing out of the deal.

Crosby is back with the Raiders, and it appears as though the veteran is all in with the Silver and Black after that entire ordeal. The Raiders are in a rebuild, so it will be interesting to see if Crosby is in it for the long haul or if this is a short-term marriage between the two parties.

Nonetheless, Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke about Crosby and shared the team’s position on the situation.

“My relationship with Maxx since I’ve gotten here has been great,” Spytek said in a March 26 video on the Raiders YouTube channel. “We had a lot of conversations throughout the season, at the end of the season, and through the offseason. We were presented with a challenging and difficult decision to make.

“Things have a way of going a certain way and working out the way they’re supposed to. We welcome him like he never left because he really never did. It’s exciting to see him work hard and attack the rehab like we know. I know he’s going to be back, ready to rock in August this year and have many good years ahead of him still.”

---

Could Maxx Crosby Be a Trade Candidate for the Deadline Later This Year

Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared his take on how he sees the Crosby situation playing out and noted that he doesn’t foresee a trade involving Crosby leading up to or at the NFL Draft.

“If he’s going to be traded, I think it’s going to have to come after Maxx Crosby gets back on the field and plays really well, so people will forget about everything that just happened,” Breer said in a March 20 video from “The MMQB NFL Podcast.”

“That way, it becomes a little easier when it comes to managing your owners and your fan base. It also makes it easier to go out and trade for him again. That’s not a bad place for the Raiders to be, either. When you look at where they are, it’s like, ‘OK, Maxx is going to help build a culture, and they’ll move forward as if he’s part of the team.’

“But if they’re really bad in October or early November and he’s playing great, then they can have that conversation. That’s probably the smartest way to move forward if you’re the Raiders.”

---

Maxx Crosby Wants to Play for the Raiders

Meanwhile, Breer isn’t the only insider saying that they don’t see another trade for Crosby happening this offseason. 

On the March 20 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show,” NFL media’s Tom Pelissero stated that he foresees the Raiders star in Silver and Black next season, even though teams are checking in to see if a trade is a possibility.

“My understanding is when teams have been checking on this, they have been told the same thing that Maxx told everyone, from Mark Davis to John Spytek, to Klint Kubiak, to Rob Leonard: Maxx wants to be a Raider. Maxx is no longer trying to get out of Las Vegas,” Pelissero said.

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo