The dust has settled a bit since Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby took a quick trip to Baltimore. Though several trade rumors have surfaced since then, none have gained purchase, and Crosby appears to be destined to play his 2026 campaign in Las Vegas. With Crosby still working his way back from injury, though, the Raiders are reportedly “counting” on Crosby to be cleared for play by the start of training camp, according to Raiders columnist Paul Gutierrez.
For the second year in a row, Crosby missed the team’s final stretch of games due to injury. In 2025, though, his season-ending absences came with a bit more controversy as Crosby pushed back against the narrative that he couldn’t play to finish out the year. Having played through a knee injury for about a month and a half, Crosby had every intention of continuing to play through the pain, but with a No. 1 overall pick in reach, Las Vegas was taking zero chances.
After getting shut down against his will, Crosby did end up undergoing meniscus surgery, and in the process, the documented surgery results and scans detailed short- and long-term prognoses that would cause eventual controversy and create offseason headlines. While Crosby’s surgeon, famed knee specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, affirmed that Crosby would recover in time to play in 2026, the Ravens expressed concerns about his long-term prognosis and whether the injury might eventually end his career prematurely.
Now, Crosby is back in Vegas, continuing to rehab from the surgery and hoping to be able to return by training camp as his team hopes he will. New head coach Klint Kubiak has voiced a vote of confidence in Crosby, per Gutierrez, telling the media that “he wouldn’t be surprised if Crosby was ahead of schedule.” The Raiders don’t need “ahead of schedule,” though, they just need their star pass rusher back for the push into the preseason as they begin a new era under their rookie head coach-quarterback duo.