Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders have played their last game of the 2025 season, and we have our final NFL Power Ranking roundup to put a bow on the campaign. With the offseason and the Raiders’ rebuild in mind, the national media continues to float the idea that Maxx Crosby could be on the trade block this offseason.
On an administrative note, a lot of the outlets that we’ve been keeping tabs on throughout the season didn’t publish a final power ranking or just focused on the playoff teams. So, we have a few new sources for this week’s column.
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
All signs point to the team drafting a quarterback this offseason after earning the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders’ last-placed finish is a reflection of GM John Spytek’s failed Geno Smith trade from the 2025 offseason, but acquiring the veteran always seemed like a transitional move. And speaking of transitions, Vegas will have a new coaching staff in 2026 after the one-year Pete Carroll experiment fell flat. Now all the focus must be on finding a leader who can dispel a losing culture, shepherd a young quarterback and rebuild trust inside and outside of the organization. It could be a monumental offseason for the program, as defensive pillar Maxx Crosby and the team appeared to be on different pages by season’s end, with his future very much hanging in the balance. The Raiders could be a golden rebuilding opportunity, but it’s also a team fraught with issues and major decisions. — Eric Edholm
This won’t (or shouldn’t) play a factor in his decision, but Spytek already isn’t popular within Raider Nation after a rough first season on the job. Trading away the team’s most popular player certainly wouldn’t do him any favors in that regard. But Spytek has had the organization’s long-term vision since taking over last offseason, and it’s not his job to sell jerseys. Sometimes, you have to be the villain to emerge as the superhero.
31. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
What’s next: Trading Maxx Crosby
This relationship doesn’t feel fixable. After the Raiders put their star defensive end on IR last week, he posted videos of himself playing basketball and jumping on a trampoline. Crosby’s contract is very tradable, and it’d be nice for the wider NFL world to see him in the playoffs again at some point. — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Originally, the situation with Crosby getting shut down felt similar to Derek Carr’s situation a few years ago, where the defensive end left the Raiders’ facilities and wasn’t seen on the sideline during the Week 17 game. However, it’s encouraging that he was present last week, so it doesn’t seem like a completely broken relationship to me. That being said, the Pro Bowler clearly wasn’t happy with the organization’s decision, and who can fault...
