Silver And Black Pride
We did it y’all, we made it through the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders season!
Well, I guess we have one more game to get through with the Week 18 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. But it seems like none of you care about that—and rightfully so, since it’s basically a preseason game—which means we’re continuing to focus on the offseason and 2026 NFL draft in this week’s mailbag column. Let’s get to it!
Q: No matter if there’s a coaching change or not, will Maxx Crosby be moved from the Raiders?
A: I’ve made my stance known on what I think the Raiders should do, and that’s the unpopular position of trading Crosby for as many high draft picks as possible. But, of course, what they will do is another story.
Mark Davis has been pretty adamant about not trading Crosby in recent years, at one point emailing ESPN to tell them Maxx isn’t going anywhere and to stop talking about it, LOL! That makes sense from the owner’s perspective since Crosby is the team’s most popular and marketable player, on top of what he brings to the field and locker room. So, if it’s up to Davis and assuming that the recent decision to shut the defensive end down hasn’t caused a rift between him and the organization, then I think he’ll remain in Las Vegas.
However, The Athletic’s Mike Silver reported that Tom Brady “is being treated by owner Mark Davis as the de facto boss when it comes to football matters”. That could change things where Brady, who hasn’t been around long enough to have an attachment to Crosby, is the one who gets to decide on the Pro Bowler’s future in Las Vegas.
To me, there are enough signs that point toward Crosby getting dealt, making me lean in that direction. I can’t say I have a strong take on what will happen, but that’s what my gut is saying right now.
Q: I believe the Raiders need more picks in the first 3 rounds of the upcoming draft. To accomplish that, would you trade down in the draft or trade Maxx Crosby to get those additional picks? I get a feeling Crosby’s days as a Raider may be coming to an end.
A: Both of these have been commonly asked questions over the last few weeks, see the question above and below, and understandably given the situation the Raiders are in.
I 100 percent agree that the Raiders could use more picks in the first three rounds. To accomplish that, if I’m calling the shots, the move is to draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall to get a long-term answer at quarterback and trade Crosby to help fill out the rest of the roster. To be clear, I’m not saying trade Maxx just to trade him; it’d have to be a first-round pick and then some to make the deal.
Hypothetically, if Las Vegas got the same compensation it gave up for...
