The Las Vegas Raiders have been a major disappointment in the NFL through the first seven weeks of the 2025 season. After kicking off their campaign with a victory over the New England Patriots in Week 1, the Raiders have stumbled, dropping five of their next six games. Their lackluster performance has left little hope that they’ll turn things around to become a competitive force anytime soon.
With the NFL trade deadline looming, the Raiders are widely expected to act as sellers, looking to offload assets to kickstart a potential rebuild. Among the names swirling in trade rumors is superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby, a perennial bright spot for the struggling franchise. However, team owner Mark Davis has emphatically shut down any speculation about moving the All-Pro pass rusher.
Despite a busy offseason that included significant roster moves, such as signing veteran quarterback Geno Smith, the Raiders have been a disaster on both sides of the ball. The offense has struggled to find any rhythm under Smith’s leadership, while the defense, which entered the season with known weaknesses, has failed to compensate for the team’s shortcomings.
Amid this turmoil, Maxx Crosby remains a standout performer. Through seven games, the 28-year-old has racked up 28 tackles, four sacks, one interception, five pass deflections, and a forced fumble. His relentless presence on the field forces opposing offenses to game-plan around him, even as the Raiders struggle as a unit. Crosby’s consistent excellence has made him an attractive target for contending teams looking to bolster their defensive lines before the trade deadline.
However, Mark Davis has no intention of letting his team’s cornerstone player go. Addressing the persistent trade rumors, Davis was unequivocal in his stance, telling NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, “I don’t know how many times I’ve got to say it. It’s really hard to keep getting asked the same question every month or week or whatever when the answer’s going to stay the same. I don’t know why anybody would think I’d change my mind or the organization would.”
Crosby’s value to the Raiders extends beyond his on-field production. In the offseason, he signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension, signaling the team’s commitment to building around him. Trading him would not only be a financial challenge but also a blow to the team’s identity and morale. Yet, with the Raiders’ dismal performance suggesting a rebuild may be on the horizon, some wonder if cashing in on Crosby for a haul of draft picks or young talent could jumpstart the process.
The idea of trading a player of Crosby’s caliber is tempting on paper, especially for a team that appears far from contention. A blockbuster deal could net Las Vegas valuable assets to reshape their roster for the future. However, as Davis’s comments make clear, the Raiders view Crosby as untouchable. Unless Crosby himself requests a trade—an unlikely scenario given his loyalty to the team—or an offer comes along that’s simply too good to refuse, the star defensive end isn’t going anywhere.
For now, the Raiders’ war room is united in its stance: Maxx Crosby is the heart of the team, and trading him is not an option. The formula of a struggling team parting ways with its best player is rarely straightforward, and the Raiders seem to understand that losing Crosby could do more harm than good. As Davis put it, the chances of a trade are “zero, absolute zero.”
While the Raiders’ season may be spiraling, Crosby remains a beacon of hope for a franchise in desperate need of direction. For Las Vegas fans, the message is clear: their star isn’t leaving, and the team will fight to build around him, no matter how tough the road ahead may be.