Patriots Among Rumored Trade Destinations for Raiders’ Maxx Crosby

Are the New England Patriots poised to add some All-Pro level talent to their defense this offseason?

According to a pair of prominent NFL insiders, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby might be available via trade. The five-time Pro Bowler is reportedly ready to move on from the ‘silver and black— and the Patriots may be on the short list of his preferred destinations.

Crosby, perJay Glazer of Fox Sports, has informed Raiders owner Mark Davis that he does not wish to remain with Las Vegas during yet another rebuild. When asked if he believed Crosby’s time with the Raiders to be done, Glazer said, “I do,” during a mid-week appearance on the Yahoo! Sports Daily podcast. Instead, his desire would be to join a team with not only the chance to contend for a Super Bowl championship, but also the financial capabilities to provide him with a lucrative contract extension.

Enter the New England Patriots.

As news of Crosby’s possible availability beginning to work its way through radio row durig Super Bowl week, several teams began to entertain the exciting idea of adding a player of Crosby’s prowess. The rumor train officially arrived in Patriots Nation when The Athletic’s Dianna Russini spoke to “Zolak and Bertrand”of 98.5 The Sports Hub — revealing that Crosby has a interested in playing for New England head coach Mike Vrabel.

“As for this upcoming off season, outside of just free agency, the thing that I’m going to be watching are these players that perhaps want trades,” Russini said. “That’s what I want to see. Maxx Crosby doesn’t seem too happy in Las Vegas. Is he going to said officially and ask out? Is that a guy? I can tell you, I know he wants to play for Mike Vrabel. He’s told me before.”

Though Crosby’s potential availability certainly raised eyebrows throughout the NFL universe, it should hardly come as a shocking revelation. Per Glazer’s report, the 6’5” 255-pound defender was displeased with the Raiders’ decision to place him on season-ending injured reserve (meniscus) with only two games remaining in the regular season. The “breaking point” was the decision to prematurely shut Crosby down — presumably to provide an easier path for the Raiders to earn the first overall pick in the 2026 draft.

When healthy, Crosby is one of the most fearsome defenders in the NFL. The 28-year-old finished the season with 10 sacks, 73 tackles, two forced fumbles, six passes defensed, and his first career interception through 15 starts. Crosby led the team in sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, and passes defensed and was fifth in tackles, en route to his fifth-straight Pro Bowl. In short, he would immediately upgrade any defense to which he is added.

What Might a Potential Patriots Deal for Maxx Crosby Entail?

Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) rushes the ball against Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

While it remains to be seen whether the Patriots actually enter the Crosby sweepstakes, they seem to satisfy all of the prerequisites to secure his services from the Raiders.

Though New England executed an aggressive free-agent spending spree — leading the NFL in allocating over $209 million in guaranteed money and totaling roughly $364 million in total contract value in 2025 — the Patriots are once again expected to be in sound financial standing at the start of the 2026 league year.

Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan projects New England to be $42.6 million under the cap for the upcoming season. Benzan, using the median of $303.45 million for his calculations, puts the Pats in the top-10 for the next league year. New England may not be working with the same [or better] monetary windfall as last offseason, the club should have little to no difficulty in retaining the quality of its roster, while adding additional talent.

Although it may be early to project the particulars of such a deal, Crosby is almost certain to command either a similar or superior package to that which the Green Bay Packers surrendered to acquire linebacker Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 — meaning New England could be expected to include two first-round draft picks and a bona fide NFL talent as the starting point for any negotiations.

From a financial standpoint, Crosby is signed through 2029, at an average payout of $29 million per year. The Raiders would absorb only $5.1 million in dead-cap charges by trading him. New England’s current cap situation would allow them to incur the cost, provided additional cap-clearing moves were made to ensure sound operation. Of course, there is always the possibility that Crosby and his new team would prefer to negotiate a new contract. Once again using Parsons as a comparison, he agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

As for the Patriots, all talk regarding Crosby will remain outside their purview as they are prepare for a showdown with the Seattle Seahawks this weekend at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. in Super Bowl LX. It marks the team’s first appearance back on the NFL’s grandest stage since Super Bowl LIII. Making their 12th Super Bowl appearance, a victory would give the Patriots their seventh NFL title and the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.

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