INDIANAPOLIS — Raiders general manager John Spytek doesn’t sound like someone who is itching to part ways with Maxx Crosby.
Speaking at the NFL Combine on Tuesday morning, Spytek sounded optimistic about Crosby playing in Las Vegas in 2026, calling him an “elite player” and adding that he has a “great” relationship" with the defensive end.
“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. “And you know, it’s hard to build a great team without elite players.”
Crosby has been rumored to be a trade target of several teams, including the Patriots, who could use a boost off the edge. A fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019, Crosby has twice been named a second-team All-Pro (2021, ’23) while registering 69.5 sacks in seven seasons. He signed a three-year contract extension worth $106.5 million early last March.
Any potential trade package for Crosby would likely require multiple draft picks in return. Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf was not asked specifically about Crosby on Tuesday, but he did say he would be willing to trade a first-round pick if the right opportunity presented itself.
“We’re open to anything, if we think it’s going to help the team both in the short and long term,” Wolf said. “Then, it’s something we’ll look at.”
Wolf was asked about the traits the Patriots look for in edge rushers.
“Pass rush. Speed and violence. Explosiveness. First-step quickness,” he said. “The ability to win in multiple ways. You can’t just be an edge, you know, run-about-a-hoop guy at this level. There are some guys in college that are able to be successful that way, but you need different things in your toolbox.
“I think the guys that can rush with power are at maybe more of a premium, the guys that are athletic and can rush with power. That’s why, I mean, everyone is looking for pass rushers in this league. It’s not just going to be us. We’ll see if we can improve that spot.”
Crosby has remained loyal to the Raiders but has never played in the postseason and has been a part of one winning season in seven years.
“I have a lot of goals, but I do want to win,” Crosby said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast this month. “That’s all that matters ultimately, but I want to be in a place where mentally I’m 100 percent myself. I just want to focus on football. That’s truly what I want. People that know me know I’m about the work and the football.”
“Maxx and I have a great relationship,” Spytek 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.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.