INDIANAPOLIS -- Raiders general manager John Spytek is confident star pass rusher Maxx Crosby will remain in Las Vegas into the 2026 season.
"I do, yes," Spytek said Tuesday from the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine when asked if he expects Crosby to remain in the desert.
Speculation has swirled around Crosby's future since Super Bowl week, with reports saying that the star pass rusher wanted out of Vegas following another frustrating campaign that ended on injured reserve and necessitated a minor meniscus repair in early January.
Spytek noted multiple times during his Tuesday news conference that he's "comfortable" in his relationship with Crosby moving forward.
"Maxx and I have a great relationship," he said. "He's in the building every day getting healthy right now. We talk on the phone, we text. So I have a great relationship with Maxx."
Trading Crosby could bring a windfall to the Raiders, who are in desperate need of talent throughout the roster. However, Spytek said keeping a playmaker like Crosby -- one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the game -- outweighs any games of what-if.
"Maxx is an elite player, and I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them," Spytek said. "It's hard to build a great team without elite players."
Crosby has been to one playoff game in seven seasons and desperately wants to play for a contender. When asked if the Raiders can contend in 2026, Spytek pointed to the NFL being a league of quick turnarounds.
"I think we're going to build this team the right way," he said on Tuesday. "This league is littered with examples of teams that went from a top-five pick to the NFC championship, the Super Bowl. We've seen it the last couple of years. The Patriots won four games last year, and they were in the big game. The year before, the Commanders picked second and were in the NFC Championship Game. So, we're going to build it the right way and we'll see what comes."
The GM's comments give Raiders fans hope that they can hang onto their franchise's foundation as they move into a new era under head coach Klint Kubiak. Of course, if Spytek planned to move the star, he wouldn't announce it at the Combine. Those dominoes, if they're to be played, would come later in the process.
The rumors won't be squashed with Spytek's comments, but they could be slowed a tick.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: NFL Network and NFL+ will have live coverage of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine beginning Feb. 26.
