HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Maxx Crosby’s season is over, and whether his time with the Las Vegas Raiders is finished remains to be seen.
The Raiders placed their star pass rusher, who has dealt with a knee injury much of the season, on injured reserve on Saturday, meaning he won’t play in their final two games.
Las Vegas hosts the New York Giants on Sunday and Kansas City the week after.
“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,” the Raiders said in a statement. “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.”
The move comes a day after the Raiders sidelined Crosby for the game against the Giants. Crosby left the facility after being informed of that decision, which coach Pete Carroll said at the time he supported. Carroll denied there was a rift between Crosby and the organization.
“He’s been fighting his (butt) off the whole time,” Carroll said Friday. “He’s as good a competitor as you can be. You can’t battle more than he’s battled. He’d do anything to be able to be playing.”
The Raiders and Giants each head into their matchup with 2-13 records, and the loser has the inside track to the top overall draft pick. Las Vegas could use the top pick on a quarterback, such as Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, in hopes of addressing a longtime need for an organization that has gone more than two decades without a playoff victory.
In addition to taking Crosby out of the lineup, the club made other moves this week that indicate they are in rebuild mode.
Tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and safety Jeremy Chinn (back) were placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday. Bowers is a two-time Pro Bowler who earned first-team All-Pro honors last season. Chinn has started every game and will finish with 114 tackles, three for loss, and a sack.
As for Crosby, he is one of the league’s top pass rushers. He has 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss this season. Crosby has recorded double-digit sacks three of the past four seasons.
Crosby made it clear earlier this week that winning was more important than getting the top draft selection.
“I don’t give a (expletive) about the pick,” Crosby said at the time. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. 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 and on being that guy on a consistent basis for my team. The front office, the coaches, they do that.”
Though Crosby has long insisted he wanted to begin and end his career playing for the Raiders, the franchise could take that decision out of his hands by finding a trade partner for a 28-year-old in his prime.
He signed a three-year extension worth $106.5 million, with $91.5 million guaranteed, on March 5 that briefly made Crosby the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The deal takes Crosby through the 2029 season.
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