Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby placed on injured list for the rest of the season amid uncertainty

The tension between the Las Vegas Raiders and star defensive end Maxx Crosby appears to have reached a fever pitch.

The team announced on Saturday that Crosby has been placed on the reserve/injured list for the remainder of this season.

"We have made the decision to place Maxx Crosby on the Reserve/Injured list for the remainder of the 2025 season," the Raiders said in a statement 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."

Things have escalated between the parties due to the Raiders letting Crosby know he'd definitely be out in Week 17 versus the Giants and Week 18 against the Chiefs. Speculation around the NFL is that the Raiders wanted to shut Crosby down so they have a better chance of losing and getting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders have denied that and insist they are doing what is best for Crosby.

Crosby has been playing with a hurt knee since injuring it against the Chiefs back in October and hasn't practiced every day since. On Tuesday, Crosby underwent an MRI that the injury was still lingering and could persist if not taken care of. The Raiders told Crosby that, but he'd been insistent on finishing the season. Crosby ended up leaving the team facility on Friday as he was upset with the decision. 

"Each week, he has done everything you could possibly imagine a guy could do to play, and he's been able to," Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Friday. "But after an evaluation we did Monday or Tuesday, whenever it was, it just looks too bad.

"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."