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Pete Carroll Reacts to Maxx Crosby's Departure After Raiders Decision
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- Pete Carroll Reacts to Maxx Crosby's Departure After Raiders Decision
The Las Vegas Raiders know what they are doing. With the Raiders in a tight battle with fellow 2-13 team New York Giants for the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they decided to sit him out for that contest.
The Raiders informed star defensive end Maxx Crosby that he will not be playing in this coming Sunday's meeting with the Giants at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, pointing to his nagging knee injury as the reason.
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But Crosby was able to suit up and play through it in the past several weeks.
Then again, with the Raiders already out of playoff contention, the benefit of losing seemingly outweighs whatever the team will get from winning practically meaningless games against the Giants in Week 17 and versus the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.
Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx CrosbyKirby Lee-Imagn Images
In any case, Crosby is clearly not happy with the decision, as he reportedly left the Raiders' facility after learning of the team's decision to keep him from playing against the Giants and the Chiefs, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN .
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"He knows that he's banged up, so he's talking about, 'I'd like to get out of here.' And I said, 'Yeah, get out of here.' So, he took off," Carroll told reporters, via McFadden.
"This didn't just spring on him. We've been talking about it, and it was exactly what you would think he would do, and he should do. I agree with him 1,000 percent on how he responded, and I [would have] responded the same way."
It remains to be seen whether Crosby will see action in Las Vegas ' regular-season finale at home in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs .
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The five-time Pro Bowler Crosby has 10.0 sacks and 20 quarterback hits, in addition to 73 combined tackles, through 15 games played in 2025.
Related: Raiders Place Brock Bowers on Injured Reserve Before Giants Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
