las vegas raiders star max crosby He is expected to require knee surgery, keeping him out of the offseason, league sources told ESPN.
The Raiders are placing Crosby on injured reserve to begin the process of getting him healthy for 2026.
Crosby was shut out during a week in which the Raiders had already made the Pro Bowl. brock bowers On injured reserve – and plays Las Vegas the same week. New York Giants In a game that could decide who gets the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Some around the league speculated that competitive balance may have been the motivation for these decisions, but the Raiders have stated that the moves are rooted solely in medical purposes.
“We have decided to place Max Crosby on the reserve/injured list for the remainder of the 2025 season,” the team said in a statement Saturday. “After deliberation and thorough consultation with several top medical professionals, it became clear that this decision is in the best interests of both the franchise and the player. Max is the ultimate warrior, and he has fought extremely hard to compete with his teammates every week since suffering a knee injury mid-season. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions. He is a true Raider on and off the field – we look forward to his leadership and tenacity in 2026 and beyond.”
Crosby injured his left knee in the start on October 19. kansas city and has rarely attended a full week of practice since. On Tuesday, Crosby underwent an additional MRI, which revealed that the injury persisted and could cause long-term concerns if not addressed.
The Raiders shared those concerns with Crosby on Tuesday, along with their belief that the potential long-term risk was not prudent.
“Each week, he’s done everything you can imagine a guy can do to play, and he’s been able to do that,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Friday. “But after the assessment we did Monday or Tuesday, whenever it was, it looks pretty bad.”
Crosby wanted to finish the season because that’s what makes him a high-energy, high-performance player. When the Raiders rejected him, Crosby went home on Friday, dejected and dejected, but Carroll told reporters that he and Crosby had talked “four times” that day.
“He knows he’s been assaulted, so he’s talking about, ‘I want to get out of here.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, get out of here.’ So he left,” Carroll said. “…It just didn’t dawn on him. We’ve been talking about it, and it’s exactly what you would think he would do and he should do. The way he reacted, I agree with him 1,000 percent, and I [would have] Responded in the same manner.”
This is the second consecutive year Crosby has not finished the season – last year he suffered a sprained ankle that required surgery – and Crosby doesn’t like to miss time.
But the Raiders did for their best defensive player, Crosby, what they did for their best offensive player, Bowers, who did not need surgery on his injured knee. Bowers has been playing with a PCL injury and a left kneecap injury since Week 1.
The Raiders have no plans to lock up any other players; The remaining players are fully healthy to play and are expected to play against the Giants on Sunday. quarterback geno smithrushing back ashton jeanty and wide receiver trey tucker Will play Sunday, according to sources, because the Raiders play in a game that – even if they don’t want to admit it – will be winnable despite a loss.
The loser of the Giants-Raiders game will get the inside track on the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. The winner will be drawn into a group of three winning teams and could drop out of the top five.
When Crosby was asked earlier in the week about the Raiders potentially acquiring the top pick in the draft, he said, “I don’t have any doubt about the pick. I don’t play for him.
“My job is to be the best defensive end in the world, and that’s what I focus on every day, and focus on being a great leader and being an influential person,” Crosby said. “Same [the front office’s] Work. But this has nothing to do with me.”
The Raiders felt it was most important to protect their two biggest contributors, Crosby and Bowers, leading them to make the decision.
