 | ESPN.com: Las Vegas Raiders | [Print without images] |
Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby�is expected to need knee surgery that would sideline him into 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 down during a week in which the Raiders already placed Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers on injured reserve -- and the same week Las Vegas plays the 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 could be the impetus for these decisions, but the Raiders have stated that the moves are rooted solely in medical purposes.
"We have made the decision to place Maxx Crosby on the Reserve/Injured list for the remainder of the 2025 season," the team said in a statement Saturday. "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. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions. He is a true Raider on and off the field -- we look forward to his leadership and toughness into 2026 and beyond."
Crosby initially injured his left knee Oct. 19 at Kansas City and has rarely participated in a full week of practice since. On Tuesday, Crosby underwent an additional MRI that revealed the injury had persisted and could present long-term concerns should it not be addressed.
The Raiders shared those concerns with Crosby on Tuesday, along with the belief that the potential long-term risk was not prudent.
"Each week, he has done everything you could possibly imagine a guy could do to play, and he's been able to," Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Friday. "But after an evaluation we did Monday or Tuesday, whenever it was, it just looks too bad."
Crosby wanted to finish out the season because it is what makes him the high-energy, high-performance player that he is. When the Raiders overruled him, Crosby went home Friday, disappointed and upset, but Carroll told reporters that he and Crosby had spoken "four times" that day.
"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."
This marks the second straight year that Crosby did not finish the season -- last year he suffered a high ankle sprain that required surgery -- and Crosby does not like missing time.
But the Raiders did for Crosby, their best defensive player, what they did for Bowers, their best offensive player, who didn't need surgery on his bruised knee. Bowers has been playing with a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee since Week 1.
There are no plans for the Raiders to shut down any other players; the rest are healthy enough to play and are expected to do so Sunday against the Giants. Quarterback Geno Smith, running back Ashton Jeanty�and�wide receiver Tre Tucker will play Sunday, according to sources, as the Raiders play in a game that -- even if they don't want to admit it -- would be winning for losing.
The loser of the Giants-Raiders game will have the inside track on the No. 1 pick in next year's draft. The winner will be thrust into the mix of a group of teams with three wins and could fall out of the top five picks.
When Crosby was asked earlier in the week about the Raiders potentially securing the top pick in the draft, he said, "I don't give a s--- about the pick. I don't play for that.
"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 being an influence," Crosby said. "That's [the front office's] job. But that's got nothing to do with me."
The Raiders felt it was most important to protect their two greatest contributors, Crosby and Bowers, leading them to make the decisions they did.
