Maxx Crosby has made it clear he wants to stay with the Raiders, and the team has said just as often that they want him around. Normally, that kind of mutual commitment would put an end to any trade talk.
But those rumours haven’t gone away. This week, Raiders insider Hondo Carpenter reported serious interest in Crosby from across the league, highlighting the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers as teams especially keen on the pass rusher.
The bigger question is why these stories keep coming back up—and the answer might be tied to something everyone remembers: Las Vegas nearly traded him once before.
Earlier in the offseason, Maxx Crosby was at the centre of a major storyline. The Ravens were said to have agreed to a deal that would have brought him to Baltimore in exchange for a package built around two first-round picks. That move fell through when medical concerns prompted the Ravens to pull out before anything became official.
The effect of those talks still lingered. Prior to this, Crosby had been seen as off-limits. But once word got out that the Raiders had entertained such a significant offer, it changed how teams viewed his availability. It didn’t mean Las Vegas were actively trying to move him, but once negotiations reach that level, interest from other teams tends to follow.