New England Patriots
“Mike Vrabel is a draw. They have somebody on staff in Josh McDaniels, who coached him.”
Maxx Crosby recorded 10 sacks in 15 games last season with the Raiders. AP Photo/David Becker
February 11, 2026 | 6:04 PM
3 minutes to read
The Patriots have plenty of work to do when it comes to upgrading a roster that fell just one win short of a Super Bowl title.
One area of need should be an edge rusher.
Despite New England dialing up plenty of blitzes during their playoff run, they were only able to sack Sam Darnold once during Super Bowl LX.
During regular-season action, the Patriots ranked just 26th in total sacks with 35.0 over 17 games, while ranking 20th in sack percentage (5.9 percent).
K’Lavon Chaisson had a breakout year with 7.5 sacks, but he could be on the move as a pending free agent, while Harold Landry (8.5 sacks) tailed off as the season went on due to a lingering knee injury.
But, New England could be in the mix for one of the top offseason targets across the NFL in Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Crosby — who has recorded 69.5 sacks over 110 career games with the Raiders — could be on the move after his relationship with the only NFL team he’s played for has reportedly broken down.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the decision by the Raiders to shut down Crosby before the end of the 2025 season due to a knee issue ruffled some feathers.
“There’s a lot of fence-mending that’s going to need to happen if the Raiders are going to hang on to Maxx Crosby,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition. “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, and I think that there is this feeling, ‘I’m 28 years old, they didn’t do right by me, so now it’s time for me to go find a way to win.’”
According to Breer, the role of Alex Guerrero — Brady’s longtime trainer who joined the Raiders as a “wellness coordinator” — has caused some of the fracture in Crosby’s relationship with Las Vegas.
“He was part of communicating the Raiders’ decision, and why they made the decision to shut him down in December, which really angered Maxx,” Breer added. “I believe the day was [December] 23 when they had some scans done, and the Raiders basically told him after the scans, ‘We’re gonna shut you down for the season.’
“Maxx had strong suspicion that the reason they were doing it was to tank for the No. 1 overall pick, which worked. But the communication of it got fouled up. And a lot of people in that building report to Alex Guerrero now, and Alex is seen as the eyes and ears of Tom Brady internally, so there is some fence-mending that would have to happen there.”
If Crosby does ask out of Vegas, the Patriots would be a natural fit. T
The five-time Pro Bowler would be a menace on the edge, especially when paired with a defensive line that already features Milton Williams and Christian Barmore up front.
Even with his knee injury, Crosby recorded 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 28 tackles for loss across 15 games in 2025.
According to Breer, the Patriots would be one of many teams in the mix if Crosby requests a fresh start elsewhere.
“My understanding is there are a bunch of contenders that have already at least signaled interest,” Breer said. “I think the Patriots will be one of them, and I would say that for that player in particular, Mike Vrabel is a draw. They have somebody on staff in Josh McDaniels, who coached him.
“There’s some scheme fit stuff there too, which, who isn’t Maxx Crosby a scheme fit for? It would make a lot of sense, so if there was somebody that I think they could trade for, I think Maxx would be it.”
Speaking during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, NFL insider Dianna Russini said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” that Crosby would welcome the opportunity to play for a Mike-Vrabel-coached team.
“As for this upcoming off season, outside of just free agency, the thing that I’m going to be watching are these players that perhaps want trades,” Russini said. “That’s what I want to see. Maxx Crosby doesn’t seem too happy in Las Vegas. Is he going to ask for one officially and ask out? Is that a guy? I can tell you, I know he wants to play for Mike Vrabel. He’s told me before.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
