Adam Schefter Says Maxx Crosby Trade Talk Could Return If Raiders Struggle This Fall
Maxx Crosby isn’t going anywhere this summer. That’s the word from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who says the Las Vegas Raiders plan to build their defense around their star pass rusher heading into the 2026 season — but he’s not ready to close the book on a trade completely.
The Raiders and Crosby are back on the same page after a blockbuster trade to the Baltimore Ravens fell apart earlier in the offseason. Crosby has spent training camp reaffirming his commitment to Las Vegas, and for now, both sides sound aligned.
Schefter addressed the situation directly on his podcast, and he made clear the team has no plans to move on from Crosby anytime soon.
“I think he’s there, and they’re gonna play with him, and use him, and he’s the face of the franchise, one of the faces of the franchise, and beloved down in Vegas, as he should be, for all the effort and energy that he’s brought to that team. But here’s where I think it could change in time,” Schefter said.
Schefter posted the clip on X on August 5, 2026, with co-host Ty Schmit: —
Maxx Crosby has said he is “all in” and wants to be a “Raider for life”. The time that could be tested is leading up to the NFL trade deadline.
With @tyschmit:
🎧 https://t.co/vVTfnIEILs pic.twitter.com/SD0CTRI6WV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 5, 2026
Why the Trade Deadline Looms Large
Crosby has publicly called himself a “Raider for life,” and there’s no indication that’s changed. But Schefter pointed to one scenario that could shift the calculus: a rough start to the season running into the fall.
The Raiders finished 3-14 a season ago, and Las Vegas enters 2026 with a new head coach in Klint Kubiak and a roster still working through a rebuild. If the losses pile up again, Schefter says that’s when Crosby’s name could resurface around the NFL’s trade deadline in early November.
“What if the Raiders aren’t winning regularly? What if the Raiders are 1-5, 2-6, and we’re coming up to the trade deadline in the first week in November and there’s a team out there that can use a pass rusher, and Maxx is playing at the level that we think he can at another high level. I think that’s when the trade potentially could come back into play. And I think that’s when it might be time to start paying attention,” Schefter said.
He was careful to note this isn’t a prediction of what’s coming — just a scenario worth watching. “Maybe I’m going to be surprised and they trade him in the summer, but that’s not what I’m expecting. It’s not what I’m hearing,” Schefter added.
What This Means for the Raiders
Crosby remains one of the league’s premier edge rushers, and his presence anchors a defense that badly needs difference-makers up front. Trading him now, before the season even kicks off, would gut a unit still trying to find its footing under a new coaching staff. That’s likely why Las Vegas has shown no urgency to revisit trade talks despite the offseason drama with Baltimore.
The bigger variable is record, not roster fit. A pass rusher of Crosby’s caliber only becomes a trade chip in November if a rebuilding team decides its playoff window has closed for the year — and that calculus depends entirely on how the next two months play out on the field.
For now, Crosby is locked in at training camp, working alongside new additions like quarterback Kirk Cousins and linebacker Nakobe Dean as the Raiders try to avoid another lost season. Whether his name comes up again in trade rumors will likely hinge on how Las Vegas looks through the first half of the schedule.
