Adam Schefter has delivered what amounts to a closing argument on the Maxx Crosby trade speculation that has hovered around the Las Vegas Raiders for months.
Speaking Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the ESPN insider made clear that the market for the star edge rusher has cooled considerably and that the franchise has little incentive to revisit the idea of moving him.
Crosby had forced the conversation himself during the offseason, pushing for a trade after the Raiders initially resisted. At one point Baltimore appeared ready to surrender two first-round picks, a package substantial enough to make the Raiders reconsider.
That deal never materialized. According to Schefter, the opportunity has now slipped away.
“Maxx Crosby, the issue there is he means so much to that franchise,” Schefter said. “He was the one that was forcing the issue in the offseason; he was the one that wanted to be traded. Initially, the Raiders balked, and then they found two [first-round picks]. And I don’t think they’re getting that back now.”
Schefter went further, underscoring both Crosby’s value and the practical reality of the current trade market.
He described the four-time Pro Bowler as an “unbelievable player” while noting that no other club appears willing to part with a similar haul.
“So maybe it just makes sense to hold on to him,” Schefter said. “You don’t want to sell off the heart and soul of your team, the face of your franchise. You don’t want to do that. And I don’t know anybody would give up enough to make it happen… The trade talks surrounding Maxx Crosby have lost a little bit of steam.”
The timing of Schefter’s comments coincides with a difficult stretch for Las Vegas.
After opening the season 3-0 and briefly leading the Kansas City Chiefs at halftime in Week 4, the Raiders have dropped four consecutive games.
That slide has fueled broader questions about the team’s direction ahead of the trade deadline, yet it has not revived serious momentum around Crosby’s departure.
Other voices around the league have floated alternative destinations, including the Detroit Lions, but those conversations remain speculative.
For the Raiders, the calculus appears straightforward. Crosby remains the emotional and competitive centerpiece of the roster, a player whose presence extends beyond the sack totals he continues to post.
With the original high-end offer no longer on the table and no comparable package materializing, the organization seems prepared to keep its defensive cornerstone in place rather than risk trading away the identity of the franchise for diminished returns.
Schefter’s assessment leaves little room for ambiguity: the Crosby trade rumors have cooled, and for now the Raiders intend to ride it out with their star still wearing the silver and black.
