Report: Maxx Crosby is Demanding the Raiders Trade Him Specifically Because He Wants No Part of Alex Guerrero
... The Greatest Days Are Ahead. 8 Surgeries In. Obsession. Discomfort. Sacrifice. I’m Willing To Give It All To Achieve My Goals. Adversity Will Always Reveal A Man’s Character. Year 8 Incoming.. This Shit Is About To Be Iconic. Don’t Blink.
When a top-tier NFL edge defender like Maxx Crosby is Going All Capitalizations to wax philosophical with Epictetus-level Stoicism and Aristotelian teleology about things being what they're supposed to be and cream rising and shit getting iconic and Kenny Chesney lyrics, you know it's there's a lot going on in Las Vegas. And he's dead serious about wanting out.
And since he's already made his preferred team very clear:
... this should matter to every Patriots fan who wants to build a defense that bear a passing resemblance to the one that just dismantled the No. 2 offense in the league Sunday night.
And Crosby's relationship with Raiders ownership has a very familiar ring to it for anyone who was paying attention in New England from around 2016 to 2019. At least according to this report:
NBC Sports Boston - According to The MMQB's Albert Breer, Crosby's relationship with the Raiders' brass went sideways after they shut him down for the 2025 season with a knee injury.
"There's a lot of fence-mending that's going to need to happen if the Raiders are going to hang on to Maxx Crosby," Breer said on Tuesday's Early Edition. "It goes all the way to the top of the organization with Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero. The way the communication happened with the injury in December left a mark.
"This is a guy who's incredibly loyal to the Raiders organization, wanted to spend his entire career there, and is loyal to Mark Davis as well. Now, he feels betrayed, and I think that there is this feeling, 'I'm 28 years old, they didn't do right by me, so now it's time for me to go find a way to win.' "
Guerrero, Brady's longtime trainer, joined the former Patriots quarterback in Vegas as the organization's "wellness coordinator." He's partially responsible for Crosby wanting a fresh start somewhere else, per Breer.
"He was part of communicating the Raiders' decision, and why they made the decision to shut him down in December, which really angered Maxx," Breer added. "I believe the day was (December) 23 when they had some scans done, and the Raiders basically told him after the scans, 'We're gonna shut you down for the season.'
"Maxx had strong suspicion that the reason they were doing it was to tank for the No. 1 overall pick, which worked. But the communication of it got fouled up. And a lot of people in that building report to Alex Guerrero now, and Alex is seen as the eyes and ears of Tom Brady internally, so there is some fence-mending that would have to happen there."
If Crosby pushes for a trade, the Patriots would be a near-perfect fit for the five-time Pro Bowler. Coming off an AFC championship, New England will look to upgrade its pass rush and form one of the scariest defensive lines in football. The addition of Crosby would likely give the Patriots one of the NFL's most feared defenses altogether.
If you'll excuse me for a bit, I'm going to need a moment. That last paragraph is giving me Patriots Priapism, so I'm going to need to think about Mama Fratelli for a few minutes until I get it under control.
OK. I'm back.
As far as this report, not only is Albert Breer as plugged in as anyone, it's so full of specific details it has to be coming directly from Crosby or his agent. There's simply no other way to have the exact date, what was said, how Crosby felt, and so on. So I for one am buying it.
And while all of New England is imagining Crosby lining up alongside Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, K'Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry, it's impossible not to notice the irony of Alex Guerrero's role in Tom Brady's world actually helping the Patriots. For better or worse, the beef between his involvement in the training of Brady, Rob Gronkowski and assorted other players led to the end of the Dynasty. Rightly or wrongly, Bill Belichick resented him butting into what he considered team business. Overstepping his boundaries. Contradicting the training staff that the organization was spending millions on every year. He famously revoked Guerrero's team plane privileges before later reinstating them. So basically Guerrero's power and influence took up an enormous amount of oxygen over about a four-year span.
If not exactly the Dynasty's Yoko Ono, he was the Buzz Lightyear Brady started playing with. The one who showed up with his stupid little cardboard spaceship and took away everything that was important to Bill:
And eventually, the whole Patriots organization ended up covered with dust under the bed.
So it would be a hell of a thing if Guerrero's official capacity in the Raiders organization somehow benefited us. If Maxx Crosby is wreaking havoc in the Seahawks backfield next Super Bowl the way everyone on their defense did to Drake Maye. It would be fate stepping in to balance out what happened in the 2020 offseason. A lot of things have to fall into place. Maybe that "fence-mending" does take place or they trade him somewhere else. But a trade to New England feels almost destined to happen. I certainly hope so. The universe owes us one.