Raiders lose key figure ahead of Giants clash as controversy grows
The Las Vegas Raiders will be without one of their main players for the upcoming game against their New York rivals.
The Las Vegas Raiders have ruled out Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, citing a knee problem. The decision is another bump in an already challenging season for a team now locked in an unwanted battle with New York, also on 2-13, for the worst record in the league.
Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed on Friday that Crosby will not play after medical staff advised that the injury had reached a point where resting him was in the team’s best interest.
The 26-year-old has been playing through discomfort since midseason, and did not practice this week as the Raiders evaluated his physical condition. Carroll said the choice did not come as a surprise and was made after ongoing discussions with Crosby and the training staff.
However, this news has reportedly not gone down well with Crosby himself, who is said to have left the team’s facility due to opposing positions over his playing status.
#Raiders HC Pete Carroll explains ruling Maxx Crosby out vs the Giants and his star edge rusher’s displeasure with the decision, Maxx leaving the building
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) December 26, 2025
“After an evaluation… (Crosby’s knee injury) just looked too bad. He didn’t want to take the news like that… He knows that… pic.twitter.com/jJsBtHoQqt
“He knows that he’s banged up... This didn’t just spring on him”
“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.”
“Each week, he has done everything you could possibly imagine a guy could do to play, and he’s been able to,” Carroll said. “But after an evaluation we did Monday or Tuesday, whenever it was, it just looks too bad.”
“Hopefully, the right conclusion for his long betterment,” Carroll concluded.
Crosby’s 2025 campaign has been solid by most measures. The five-time Pro Bowler finished the regular season with double-digit sacks and led the team in tackles for loss, even while managing his knee issue.
His absence is a blow to a defence already thin on playmakers, as tight end Brock Bowers and safety Jeremy Chinn were also recently placed on injured reserve, further cutting into Las Vegas’s roster.
Maxx Crosby contract is extremely tradable. Only $5M dead on the Raiders side. Inheriting team has $30M guaranteed in 2026, which is no problem. The rest of the contract is just $28M team options.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) December 26, 2025
Both teams incentivized to move on. Gone. pic.twitter.com/Cd6oOTk586
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 shit 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. That’s [the front office’s] job. But that’s got nothing to do with me.”
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