Maxx Crosby trade rumors: NFL teams 'bracing for potential movement' on Raiders star, per Jeremy Fowler

Despite having the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, the future is a long way from being bright for the Las Vegas Raiders. And because of that, the team could be set to move star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to a new franchise.

Crosby’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, even dating back to the 2025 in-season trade deadline. However, things are now picking up steam. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler went on Get Up on Thursday morning, where he revealed that as many as 20 teams are showing interest in making a move for Crosby.

“People in the NFL are bracing for potential movement on the Maxx Crosby front, a potential trade,” Fowler said. “However, Raiders are non-committal at this point. They have not decided what to do. I expect the Raiders, Crosby, the front office to all get together and talk about next steps. But there is a line out of Hudson Street to talk to Maxx Crosby. There is at least 20 teams, I heard, that showed preliminary, informal interest in Maxx Crosby. So this is a team that could rebuild, needs draft picks. Easy way to get them.”

A fourth round pick coming out of Eastern Michigan in the 2019 NFL Draft, Crosby has been a lone bright spot in what has been a tough stretch of football for the Raiders. Crosby has been named to the Pro Bowl roster five times and been All-Pro twice in his career. But Las Vegas has seen just one playoff appearance in Crosby’s time with the franchise, which resulted in a wild card loss.

Crosby trade could spark Raiders turnaround

Las Vegas has the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and is expected to take Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the pick. Even then, the Raiders will need more help to turn things around.

ESPN analyst and former NFL front office executive Louis Riddick believes the Crosby trade could spark that turnaround. Moving Crosby, while a significant blow, could result in more picks and help for the expected pick of Mendoza.

“Yeah, especially if Maxx doesn’t want to be there,” Riddick said when asked if a Crosby trade was a good move. “Look, you typically associate Maxx with being a Raider for life. I get that, I get how important that is to a lot of the alumni and a lot of the fanbase. But this is a football team that is starting over from scratch. He’s going to be 29 years old. He wants out of there. Given everything that he’s done for this organization, you’re probably going to get a haul for him. They need so many different pieces.”