Raiders star defensive lineman Maxx Crosby just added even more trade intrigue to the spiraling Las Vegas Raiders’ season.
“I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win. So I don’t know, whatever that means,” Crosby said to reporters, Thursday. “But, I’m here to win now. Wherever I’m gonna be I’m gonna be here to win, so that’s all that matters to me.”
Las Vegas just jettisoned wide receiver Davante Adams to the Jets, as the Raiders undertake a complicated rebuild as a struggling 2-4 franchise.
However, owner Mark Davis said he’s not trading Crosby.
“It’s unfortunate today, but there’s so much outside chatter that is not true,” Davis told The Athletic. “It’s not coming from any sources. It’s not coming from anything. My basic thing is never to answer all that stuff because, otherwise, you get trapped in this black hole. It’s just not happening.”
Antonio Pierce previously said that some of his players were making “business decisions” and that the team would also be making some choices of its own.
Initially, Pat McAfee speculated that this was referring to cornerback Jack Jones backing out of a tackle against the Panthers in Week 3.
Jones has since played plenty for the Raiders and hasn’t been at the forefront of trade speculation.
Trading a star like Adams and now having another potentially disgruntled player like Crosby on the roster is bad news for everyone.
With Lions star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson now out for the season after he broke his leg last week in gruesome fashion, Crosby had been rumored to be the apple of Detroit’s eye.
Crosby would be a welcomed addition, considering he already has 5.5 sacks in just five games played this season while putting up double-digit numbers in three of his prior five years.
Pierce is in his first full year as head coach, and while his squad performed well last year, multiple star players looking for a trade isn’t exactly what he was looking for going into the season.
Speculation has also run rampant that new minority owner Tom Brady could look to bring in his old friend Bill Belichick to be the coach next season.