The Raiders further explained their side of the Maxx Crosby drama one day after he walked out of the team’s facility, once the decision was made he would not play Sunday.
On Friday, Las Vegas made clear it wanted to sit the five-time Pro Bowler for the final two games of the regular season — including this weekend’s matchup with the fellow 2-13 Giants — over injury concerns, leading to him leaving the building.
One day later, the Raiders said they’d be putting him on season-ending injured reserve and that they hope to have Crosby in the fold for years to come.
“We have made the decision to place Maxx Crosby on the Reserve/Injured list for the remainder of the 2025 season,” the Raiders said. “After deliberate and thorough consultation with multiple top medical professionals, it became clear that this decision is in the best interest of both the franchise and the player.
“Maxx is the ultimate warrior, and he has fought extremely hard to compete each week with his teammates since injuring his knee mid-season.”
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) reacts after a tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Around the same time as the Saturday statement from the team came out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Crosby was expected to need knee surgery that would keep him out into the offseason.
Crosby has dealt with the knee injury since October, and on Friday, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that a team evaluation earlier this week said his knee “looks too bad.” The bench boss added that he would have probably walked out of the facility as well if he were in Crowby’s shoes.
“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 said. “… 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.”
With the Raiders and Giants potentially playing to see who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, many have said it is a win-by-losing affair. Crosby made clear earlier in the week that he wants no part of a “tankathon.”
Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders runs off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 14, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images
“Yeah, I don’t give a s–t about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby told local reporters. “I don’t play for that, that’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world and that’s what I focus on every day and being a great leader and influence and being that guy on a consistent basis for my team.
Crosby, with 10 sacks under his belt this season, is under contract with the Raiders through the 2029 season, though there is a potential out in the deal in 2028.
Vegas, however, reiterated its commitment to the star defensive lineman.
“We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions,” the team added. “He is a true Raider on and off the field – we look forward to his leadership and toughness into 2026 and beyond.”