Over Maxx Crosby’s strenuous objection, the Raiders have placed him on injured reserve, ending his year with two games to play.
“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 issued on 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.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier in the day that Crosby is expected to have knee surgery.
Whether Crosby needs surgery and whether he could have kept playing are two different injuries. Plenty of players keep going, deferring the procedure until after the games are concluded.
The Raiders, obviously, hope to counter the perception that they are hoping to parlay their 2-13 record into the first overall pick in the draft, continuing on Sunday against the 2-13 Giants. The fact that Crosby resisted the plan to shut him down added fuel to the tanking fire.
The unanswered question is whether, when Crosby said, “I’d like to get out here,” he meant “for now” or “for good.” Time, as always, will tell.
