Q: No matter if there\u2019s a coaching change or not, will Maxx Crosby be moved from the Raiders?<\/p>\n
A: I\u2019ve made my stance known on what I think the Raiders should do, and that\u2019s the unpopular position of trading Crosby for as many high draft picks as possible. But, of course, what they will do is another story.<\/p>\n
Mark Davis has been pretty adamant about not trading Crosby in recent years, at one point emailing ESPN to tell them Maxx isn\u2019t going anywhere and to stop talking about it, LOL! That makes sense from the owner\u2019s perspective since Crosby is the team\u2019s most popular and marketable player, on top of what he brings to the field and locker room. So, if it\u2019s up to Davis and assuming that the recent decision to shut the defensive end down hasn\u2019t caused a rift between him and the organization, then I think he\u2019ll remain in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
However, The Athletic\u2019s Mike Silver<\/a> reported that Tom Brady \u201cis being treated by owner Mark Davis as the de facto boss when it comes to football matters\u201d. That could change things where Brady, who hasn\u2019t been around long enough to have an attachment to Crosby, is the one who gets to decide on the Pro Bowler\u2019s future in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n To me, there are enough signs that point toward Crosby getting dealt, making me lean in that direction. I can\u2019t say I have a strong take on what will happen, but that\u2019s what my gut is saying right now.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s days as a Raider may be coming to an end.<\/p>\n PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 01: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n I 100 percent agree that the Raiders could use more picks in the first three rounds. To accomplish that, if I\u2019m 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\u2019m not saying trade Maxx just to trade him; it\u2019d have to be a first-round pick and then some to make the deal.<\/p>\n Hypothetically, if Las Vegas got the same compensation it gave up for Davante Adams a few years ago\u2014first- and second-round picks\u2014for Crosby, the organization would head into April with five Top 100 picks and three fourth-rounders to help build out the rest of the roster. Also, if the Raiders complete the tank this weekend, one of those fourth-round picks will be No. 101, so it\u2019s basically six Top 100 selections.<\/p>\n That, on top of adding just under $30.8 million of cap space (per Over The Cap<\/a>) by trading Crosby, is a good amount of resources to improve the offensive line, build out the foundation of the defense and help find Crosby\u2019s replacement. It\u2019d suck to lose a guy like him, but it might be a necessary evil.<\/p>\n A: Here\u2019s the problem with this line of thinking: the team that is desperate for a quarterback is the Las Vegas Raiders!<\/p>\n As soon as the Raiders pick up the phone to shop the No. 1 pick, they\u2019ll lose leverage because they\u2019re telling a team like the Jets that they aren\u2019t that interested in this year\u2019s quarterbacks. So, they\u2019re not going to get the same haul the Bears got.<\/p>\n Justin Fields was entering his third year\/make-or-break season in Chicago when the trade with Carolina happened, meaning the organization wasn\u2019t in a state of quarterback desperation. Las Vegas doesn\u2019t have that, and it\u2019s contradictory to say that this year\u2019s quarterback class is weak but still expect the Raiders to get a massive haul for the No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n Q: If the Raiders keep Carroll (I truly hope not), can he and this subpar staff develop a Top 2 QB and the rest of the draft class? They didn\u2019t show any love to the 2025 class, and Carroll\u2019s sons don\u2019t seem able to develop young guys.<\/p>\n A: I really wouldn\u2019t trust this year\u2019s staff with a young quarterback. In fact, I might hop the fence and join the trade the No. 1 overall pick banwagon if Carroll and Co. get retained, LOL! After a disastrous season, Davis and Brady have to clean house and get rid of the entire coaching staff. It\u2019s time to really lean into the rebuild and start fresh.<\/p>\n A: Retain a head coach who will be 75 years old in September, while the team is clearly rebuilding, and after he just had one of the worst seasons in franchise history and refused to give young players playing time until he was forced to. That can happen as early as after the game on Sunday and as late as next Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n A: I think it\u2019s pretty much a forgone conclusion that Mendoza is heading to the NFL. He already has a degree from Cal, just won the Heisman Trophy, has a chance at winning the National Championship and is the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in April. Plus, he meets all the experience requirements\/thresholds that teams look or hope for in quarterback prospects, like starts, wins and dropbacks. So, there really isn\u2019t anything left for him to do or prove in college.<\/p>\n Dante Moore is an interesting case, though. He has much less experience, with just a season and a half worth of starts and fewer than 700 career dropbacks. Granted, he\u2019ll surpass the latter after Oregon\u2019s next game. He\u2019s also pretty young, turning just 21 years old in May, while Mendoza will be 23 in October. Reportedly, Moore\u2019s youth has weighed on his mind when it comes to making the jump to the NFL and being a young rookie quarterback.<\/p>\n MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 01: Dante Moore #5 of the Oregon Ducks stands on the field during the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal between the Oregon Ducks and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1, 2026 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Doug Murray\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n So, is the lure of being a, at worst, Top 3 pick enough to get Moore to declare? I think if offensive coordinator Will Stein (who will be Kentucky\u2019s head coach next season) were returning to Eugene, there\u2019d be even more reason for Moore to stay in school.<\/p>\n Also, when Moore transferred from UCLA to Oregon, he knew he was going to spend a season behind Dillon Gabriel and understood that it was best for him. In other words, this is a young man who is mature enough to understand his shortcomings and has already made a decision to set aside immediate gratification with the bigger picture in mind. Long story short, it\u2019s not a guarantee that Moore will declare.<\/p>\n A: Mendoza was pretty good last year with an inferior supporting cast at Cal. Also, over the last two years, part of what makes Indiana\u2019s success under Curt Cignetti so impressive is that the Hoosiers are doing it with a bunch of players that the big programs, like Alabama, passed on. A good portion of Indiana\u2019s contributors are guys that Cignetti brought with him from JMU.<\/p>\n To put it in perspective, NFL Mock Draft Database\u2019s consensus big board has six Oregon players<\/a> besides Moore who are currently projected to get drafted in the first two rounds. Indiana has one other than Mendoza,<\/a> and it\u2019s JMU transfer receiver Elijah Sarratt, who is projected to go in the second. So, we can make the same statement about the other top QB\u2019s supporting cast, and it\u2019s the same deal with next year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n Any quarterback who gets drafted No. 1 overall is going to have to figure out handle pressure and adverse situations, both on and off the field. But I\u2019ll take my chances on the guy who has the highest PFF passing grade under pressure (73.6<\/a>) among Power 4 quarterbacks and has been poised in big moments all season.<\/p>\n Finally, I\u2019ll flip this question around. Would you pass on Joe Burrow because he played on one of the most stacked teams in College Football history with LSU\u2019s 2019 National Championship squad?<\/p>\n Q: If these big-time Offensive coaches get fired, who would you prefer if the Raiders were go down a retread route? Mike McDaniel, Kevin Stefanski, Zach Taylor or Matt Lafleur (I know it\u2019s probably not happening with LaFleur)?<\/p>\n A: LaFleur, but as you said, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s getting canned.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve mentioned in the past that I\u2019m not big on the retreads; however, I can get on board with Stefanski. He\u2019s different than a typical retread, winning Coach of the Year twice (2020, 2023) by leading the Browns to the playoffs with Baker Mayfield and then the combination of Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jeff Driskey, P.J. Walker and Joe Flacco at quarterback. Cleveland just can\u2019t get out of its own way when it comes to that position, leading to the fall off over the last two years.<\/p>\n Plus, Stefanski will only be 44 years old next season. If fired, he might be my top choice, even with the retread label. I think he\u2019s a good coach who has been screwed by a terrible front office and owner.<\/p>\n For the record, I\u2019ll pass on McDaniel and Taylor. To me, McDaniel falls into the great coordinator, bad head coach category, and Taylor\u2019s success has been driven by the talent the Bengals have had, especially offensively.<\/p>\n A: Grant has always been a high upside prospect. He showed impressive athleticism and strength at the FCS level to be a top 100 pick, but his technique was all over the place. So, I definitely think his potential is pretty high. Now, your second question is where the situation gets more complicated, and why it was so frustrating that this coaching staff wouldn\u2019t put him on the field.<\/p>\n Offensive tackle is still an offseason need and if the opportunity is there to get a young player in the draft or free agency, preferably the former, then John Spytek should take it. It\u2019d be a good problem to have if the Raiders wind up with three offensive tackles who can play between Grant, an offseason addition and Kolton Miller. That would leave the door open to potentially flip one of them\u2014probably Miller, in that scenario\u2014for 2027 draft capital or another player to fill a different need.<\/p>\n That\u2019ll do it for this week\u2019s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you\u2019d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95<\/a>, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com<\/a> or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.<\/p>\n![\"Fernando](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gettyimages-2254293673.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Dante](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gettyimages-2253713002.jpg\"\/)
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