Maxx Crosby's Raiders beef reportedly goes up to top of organization, includes Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero

One of the top NFL storylines this offseason is the saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and their star pass rusher, Maxx Crosby. The five-time Pro Bowler was shut down by the franchise in December due to a knee injury -- a decision Crosby "vehemently" disagreed with, according to Jay Glazer of Fox. After the way that situation was handled, Crosby is reportedly going to reevaluate his future with the organization. 

There has been some mixed messaging with this situation. Glazer for example believes Crosby's time with the Raiders is over, but Crosby has not requested a trade, and is in a "great place" with the team, according to NFL Media. However, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Raiders have a lot of work to do to repair their relationship with Crosby. And his frustration with the franchise reportedly goes all the way to the top.

"There's a lot of fence-mending that's going to need to happen if the Raiders are going to hang onto Maxx Crosby," Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. "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."

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You may recognize Guerrero's name. He's been connected to Brady since his New England Patriots days as a trainer and former business partner. Now, Guerrero is listed on the Raiders' official website as the team's wellness coordinator where he "oversees several departments to ensure and enhance the health and well-being of players, coaches, and staff."

According to Breer, a lot of people in the organization report to Guerrero now, and he's viewed as the "eyes and ears" of Brady.  Where he comes into the equation with Crosby is that Guerrero was apparently part of communicating to the star pass rusher that he was being shut down. This "really angered Maxx," Breer said.  

Crosby also reportedly had a "strong suspicion" that the reason he was shut down was for the Raiders to tank for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Vegas was successful in doing so. 

Crosby has refused to address the noise surrounding him, saying recently on the "Let's Go!" podcast that he's focused on his family and training. 

"My focus has been on getting healthy because that's all I can control right now," Crosby said, via NFL.com. "That's all that matters to me is being with my daughters and being with my wife and taking care of myself. People are gonna have rumors.

"I just looked at my phone -- I've been working all morning. Everyone's hitting me up, 'Did you say this?' I can't control that. You earn that as a player. If I wasn't doing the right things and if I wasn't the person and player I was, people wouldn't be talking about all the nonsense. But that's what comes with it. If you have drama, if you have a losing season, they just try to throw gasoline on the fire and make things a certain way."

New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was introduced earlier this week, and he was able to meet with Crosby -- who apparently was the first player in the building working out. Kubiak could play an important role in soothing whatever tensions may exist between Crosby and the Raiders. 

"We want him to be a part of our success going forward, theres no doubt about that," Kubiak said. "He's one of the best players in the NFL. That's a no-brainer, to get to work with Maxx and see him continue to have success with this organization."

Crosby is indeed one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position. Since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019, he has recorded the most tackles for loss (133), the fifth-most QB hits (164) and sixth-most sacks (69.5) while playing the most snaps among all defensive linemen (6,112). Breer says a "bunch of contenders" will have interest if Crosby is made available for trade. It remains to be seen if Vegas will do that.