The trade rumors surrounding All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby have escalated from midseason chatter to a full-blown offseason saga for the Las Vegas Raiders. Be that as it may, the Raiders star is refusing to pour gasoline on the fire, as he gave new head coach Klint Kubiak his flowers following his arrival.

“He’s a well-established coach,” he said on The Rush With Maxx. “Obviously, the success he has had runs in the family as well, you know, he’s a kid who grew up watching his dad have a lot of success as an NFL coach. Some of my favourite teams to watch with J.J. Watt and Arian Foster back in the day, best teams. But yeah, he’s got the best lineage of people that he’s been around.”

“He runs a great system; he’s had a lot of success being an offensive coordinator. You’ve seen what he’s done for Sam Darnold.”

The edge rusher added that he brought out the best in a lot of his players. Whether Crosby ultimately plays in Kubiak’s system or not remains to be seen, but what’s clear is that he supports the Raiders’ hiring decision. He also summed up the new head coach pretty accurately.

Kubiak’s background explains some of that confidence, since he is the son of Gary Kubiak, who collected four Super Bowl rings as a coach and appeared in three as a player. Gary’s coaching tree includes names like Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers, and the family’s influence has stretched across multiple organizations. Klint’s trajectory seems to be taking a similar direction to his dad’s.

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He entered the league as an offensive assistant with the Broncos in 2016, then moved through OC roles with the Vikings and New Orleans before landing with the Seattle Seahawks this past season, where his offense averaged 28.4 points per game, while finishing eighth in total offense and passing yards and sixth in yards per play.

His offensive system also set franchise marks for points scored in a season and point differential, but most importantly, one of the more notable results was what happened with Sam Darnold. The quarterback racked up 4,048 yards with 25 scores and 14 picks, earning his second Pro Bowl nod after the Vikings chose not to bring him back the previous offseason.

There is no doubt about Kubiak being the right hire; the only doubt is whether Crosby will be a part of his 53-man roster.

Klint Kubiak makes his feelings clear

Despite all the speculation, the new HC has made it clear that he wants his star edge rusher to remain in Las Vegas.

“We want him to be a part of our success going forward. There’s no doubt about that,” Kubiak said. “He’s one of the best players in the NFL, so that’s a no-brainer to get to work with Maxx and see him continue to have success with his organization.”

The tension really began when the Raiders decided to shut Maxx Crosby down for the final two games of the season so he could fully recover from a knee injury, but the fans saw it as a way of securing the No. 1 overall pick. The edge rusher was clearly not in support of the decision.

“I don’t give a fu– about the pick, I don’t play for that,” Crosby said. “That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world, and that’s what I focus on every day.”

Not long after, he left the team facility, and the speculation has only grown louder ever since. Two days ago, insider Adam Schefter popped up on “The Pat McAfee Show” to make his departure seem even more likely.

“I think there’s a feeling around the league that Maxx Crosby would like to be traded,” Schefter said. “The Raiders would prefer not to trade him.”

Schefter added that any potential asking price would resemble what the Packers gave up to acquire Micah Parsons from Dallas, which makes sense considering the fact that the Raiders signed Crosby to a $106.5 million extension in 2024. They would absorb roughly $5.1 million in dead cap while clearing close to $30.8 million in space, so financially, the deal wouldn’t hurt the Raiders.

Crosby, for his part, hasn’t fed the speculation so far.

“They just try to throw gasoline on the fire,” Crosby said recently. “I know what I am about. I really don’t care what everybody has to say… People can have their own opinions; I know what’s going on. I know my truth.”

It’s clear the situation will remain ambiguous until something concrete materializes, and until that happens, everything is on the table.