Patriots’ Maxx Crosby Trade Hopes Dealt Big Blow After Raiders’ Latest Move

After coming up just short in Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots are expected to be busy this offseason in an effort to build off the positive momentum they generated in 2025. Right off the bat, one guy the team has been linked to for a potential trade is Las Vegas Raiders’ superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby.

While the Raiders were awful last season, Crosby did his best to turn in another stellar campaign, as he racked up 73 tackles, 10 sacks, one interception, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles. However, he didn’t take too kindly to being shut down by the team with two games left in the season, leading to trade rumors popping up.

Las Vegas has a new regime taking over, led by recently hired head coach Klint Kubiak. Unsurprisingly, the Raiders want to keep Crosby around, and it seems as if their decision to promote defensive line coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator may have been done with Crosby in mind.

“The Raiders are expected to hire DL coach and run game coordinator Rob Leonard as their new defensive coordinator, per The Insiders. The two sides are finalizing a deal,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “Leonard earns the promotion, a key hire for coach Klint Kubiak. Leonard is also close with Maxx Crosby.

With Crosby’s future uncertain in Las Vegas, worth noting that the Raiders hired the coach with whom he works directly. As one person noted, ‘The plot thickens.'”

Now, this isn’t to say that Leonard wasn’t deserving of his promotion, but it’s worth noting that he has a close relationship with Crosby. Could that help diffuse the animosity between him and the Raiders’ brass, or is it too little, too late?

The good news for the Patriots is that reports indicate Crosby has problems with old friends Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero in the front office, so this may be an inconsequential move when all is said and done. However, it’s clear that Las Vegas isn’t just going to hand Crosby away, which could make pulling off a trade for him more difficult than initially expected.