Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby has to hilariously deny a request from a young fan at a meet-and-greet
The Las Vegas Raiders have a player that everyone wants, superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby sent a clear message about his future while at a recent meet-and-greet.
When a young San Francisco 49ers fan asked Crosby to join the 49ers, the edge rusher politely shut the door on the idea, telling the fan, “I can’t, I can’t, but I love that you do your homework.” The exchange was lighthearted, but the underlying message carries weight given the trade rumors that continue to follow Crosby heading into 2026.
Why this matters beyond a cute moment
Sure, you can take this as standard player talk. He’s on a team, he’s media-trained, and he said the safe thing. Every player does that. But there’s more to it here.
There are still a lot of trade rumors surrounding Crosby. And if there’s one NFC team he probably wants no part of, it’s the San Francisco 49ers. The old Bay Area rivalry runs deep. Crosby used to play at the Oakland Coliseum, and once you cross that bridge, there sit the 49ers. That crosstown rivalry isn’t something a committed Raider just brushes aside.
The interaction, small as it was, reinforces what Crosby has been saying all offseason. He wants to be on the Raiders in 2026. He’s not entertaining the noise, and he’s not leaving breadcrumbs for other franchises to follow.
Crosby’s knee recovery and what it means for Las Vegas
Beyond the trade speculation, Crosby is working through a knee recovery that, by all accounts, is going well. He has said he feels amazing and believes it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to full strength. He even thinks he’ll come back better than before.
That’s player talk too. Every athlete says that about every recovery. Really doing it is a different story. But Crosby has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Even last season, when he was beaten up pretty badly, he still put together a strong year despite missing time and being pulled early from games. He played in 15 games and finished with 10 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. The 28 tackles for loss is better than the 23 he posted in 2023, which led the league, and better than the 22 he had in 2022, which also led the league.
So Crosby still has a lot of juice left. The question isn’t whether the talent is there. It’s whether he can stay healthy. And he firmly believes he will.
The big one here is commitment
When you look at everything Crosby has done and said this offseason, the picture is consistent. He’s rehabbing with purpose, he’s shutting down trade talk in the most gracious way possible, and he’s making it clear that Las Vegas is where he wants to be. The Raiders need that kind of anchor on the defensive side, especially with a young roster still being built around the quarterback situation and whatever the front office adds through the rest of the offseason.
Crosby doesn’t need to give long speeches about loyalty. A polite “I can’t” to a kid in a 49ers jersey says plenty.