A little spark can ignite a great fire. That description fits Maxx Crosby right now. The Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher has spent seven seasons with the team. But after the team shut him down late in the regular season, questions about his future began to gain traction. From there, trade rumors weren’t far behind. And while a move remains only a possibility this offseason, ESPN’s Adam Schefter added an important layer to the conversation.

“I was told that the Raiders don’t want to trade [Maxx Crosby], and if they even contemplated it, then it would take a Micah Parsons-type package,” Schefter noted. “That’s what I was told. Do I think they are getting two firsts and a player, no. Do I think they want to trade him, no. Do I think he’ll be traded like AJ Brown [could be], that’ll change by the week… Any deal involving Maxx Crosby, I would think for the Raiders to make that deal, would take a first-round pick at minimum.”

First things first, Schefter doesn’t believe Vegas is eager to move Crosby in 2026. And that stance makes sense. Crosby is arguably one of the league’s premier edge rushers, earning five straight Pro Bowl nods from 2021 through 2025.

On top of that, first-year head coach Klint Kubiak has made it clear he wants Crosby anchoring his roster next season.

“I got to drink a cup of coffee with Maxx this morning,” Kubiak said in his introductory press conference. “Loved talking ball with him, and look forward to continuing those conversations. We want him to be a part of our success going forward, and there’s no doubt about that. He’s one of the best players in the NFL, so that’s a no-brainer, to get to work with Maxx and to see him continue to have success with this organization.”

That sentiment explains why Schefter believes a trade isn’t the preferred path. Still, some factors complicate the picture. Despite Crosby’s production, the Raiders continue to struggle in the win column. Add to that Crosby’s reported frustration after being shut down in the final weeks, including reports that he left the building, and the idea of a reset doesn’t feel far-fetched.

That’s where the trade math comes into play. Given Crosby’s caliber, the Raiders would likely seek a haul similar to what the Dallas Cowboys received when they dealt Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers: two first-round picks and a player. Which naturally makes you wonder: Is it realistic?

That’s where things get trickier. Parsons is two years younger than Crosby and was coming off a contract extension push. Crosby, meanwhile, is signed through 2029 and carries a potential $35.1 million dead cap hit. Then there’s production.

Over five seasons, Parsons has 65 sacks and 139 quarterback hits, never dipping below 12 sacks in a year. In that same span, Crosby has 52.5 sacks (69.5 across seven total seasons) and 137 quarterback hits. Purely on paper, Parsons holds the edge.

But that doesn’t make Crosby’s value modest. At 28, he remains in his prime. In 2025 alone, he posted 73 combined tackles, 45 solo stops, and 28 tackles for loss. Elite edge rushers don’t grow on trees, and plenty of teams would line up for one.

So while a Parsons-level package may be ambitious, Schefter’s point stands: if a trade ever materializes, the Raiders would demand at least a first-round pick. Whether that scenario unfolds remains uncertain. For now, Crosby isn’t avoiding the rumors. But he’s not fueling them either.

Maxx Crosby addressed his Raiders exit rumors

Maxx Crosby is done with the Raiders. That’s been the headline making the rounds over the past few days. It started with Jay Glazer of Fox. Then Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.com layered on another detail, reporting that the 28-year-old had directly told Raiders minority owner Tom Brady that he wants out of Vegas.

“He told Tom Brady he will never play for the Raiders again,” the unnamed general manager said, per La Canfora. “That’s a fact. He told them he’ll retire before he ever plays for them again. But I’m not sure they’re actually going to trade him. Myles Garrett said the same thing last year, and we know how that ended up.”

As that happened, Crosby addressed the noise on last week’s Let’s Go! podcast, though he stopped short of confirming or denying the specific report.

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“People are gonna have rumors,” he said. “I just looked at my phone, I’ve been working all morning. Everyone’s hitting me up, ‘Did you say this?’ I can’t control that. You earn that as a player. If I wasn’t doing the right things and if I wasn’t the person and player I was, you know, people wouldn’t be talking about all of the nonsense. But that’s what comes with it. If you have drama, if you have a losing season, they just try to throw gasoline on the fire and make things a certain way.”

So amid the speculation and trade chatter, Crosby has chosen not to directly engage with the details. Whether he plays his eighth season in Vegas or elsewhere should become clearer in the coming weeks.