A wrench has been thrown into the potential Las Vegas rebuild.
Amid a swirl of trade rumors, Maxx Crosby 's future with the franchise has grown increasingly uncertain after it was revealed that the star pass rusher underwent a minor meniscus repair on Jan. 7.
The repair — not a trim, as underscored by NFL Network — typically features a recovery timetable of three to four months, which could complicate a possible trade when the new league year kicks off March 11.
Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby Getty Images
While the surgery is more beneficial to the athlete in the long run, and Crosby said earlier this week that he's "ahead of schedule" with his rehab, the procedure will prolong his recovery — and players still not medically cleared are rarely involved in blockbuster trades.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport forecasted that if the 28-year-old Crosby — who has spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Raiders — was to get moved, it likely wouldn't be until after the NFL draft or before the season.
The five-time Pro Bowler was first mired in trade speculation after getting shut down for the team's last two games of the regular season — to which he stormed out of the team facility in frustration.
However, Crosby emphasized Friday that he never asked for a trade and that all the rumblings were "news to me."
"Now that I'm quiet, now I got random people making big statements for me," Crosby, wearing a Raiders sweatshirt, said from the team facility during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd."
"And they're like, 'Oh, Maxx must've told him this.' For me, I just sit back and laugh because I know my truth and when I go to bed at night, I have a smile on my face have to explain nothing to nobody.
"I'm getting healthy," he added. "I'm in the building every single day. I'm in this building from 6 a.m. when it's dark out, and I'm here until almost 2. … That's all I care about, so all the noise, that's news to me sometimes."
Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby poses for a photo with fans during Las Vegas' Week 16 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Getty Images
Raiders GM John Spytek praised Crosby in January, saying "I love Maxx. He embodies what a Raider is."
Granted, the gesture helped Spytek skirt providing a direct answer on whether the star defensive end was untouchable.
Maxx Crosby sacks Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in Week 13. AP
Crosby, who has had double-digit sacks in three of his last four years and is coming off a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025, would generate "significant draft capital" if he were to get traded, per Rapaport.
That draft capital could be beneficial for a franchise seemingly heading toward a full-scale rebuild following a 3–14 season.
The Raiders will likely establish a foundation around presumed first overall pick Fernando Mendoza and new head coach Klint Kubiak , who's wrapping up his duties as Seahawks OC at Super Bowl LX on Sunday night.
The question of whether Crosby will be a part of that core may have to wait for another day.
