Eastern Michigan Professional Athletes

Maxx Crosby Is Everywhere Right Now

Eastern Michigan's most prominent NFL export doesn't do quiet weeks. Maxx Crosby, the Raiders' star edge rusher, spent the stretch from Oct. 4–10 at the center of the NFL's biggest storylines — a heartbreaking close loss to the Chiefs, a round of trade chatter, a viral Mahomes revelation, and a Week 5 matchup that had New England's coaching staff openly worried.

The Chiefs Game

Las Vegas fell to Kansas City 30-27 on Oct. 4 at Allegiant Stadium, dropping the Raiders to 3-1. The loss stung, not least because a late comeback attempt fell just short. Crosby was candid afterward — one of the things that had defined Las Vegas through the first three weeks was its ability to generate pressure, and the Chiefs game tested that identity. Making matters more difficult: Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, named Super Bowl LX MVP, was a significant factor in the outcome, and Crosby publicly acknowledged it after the final whistle.

Crosby also surfaced a detail from the game that made the rounds: he revealed that Patrick Mahomes audibly moans when he gets hit — a bit of locker-room color that spread quickly and added some levity to an otherwise frustrating week for the Raiders faithful.

Trade Noise

The offseason's Crosby-to-New England chatter refused to die. Reports confirmed that during the 2026 offseason, the Raiders shopped Crosby, with the Patriots offering a package that included two first-round picks. The deal never materialized. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the miss directly, and the failed pursuit reportedly even altered how the Baltimore Ravens approach their own roster-building — a sign of just how much weight Crosby's name carries around the league. A separate report clarified that the Raiders' most valuable current trade asset isn't Crosby anyway, suggesting Las Vegas views him as a cornerstone, not a chip.

Week 5: Drake Maye in the Crosshairs

With the Raiders heading to face New England in Week 5, the matchup everyone circled immediately was Crosby vs. the Patriots' offensive line and second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Boston.com's game preview flatly advised Patriots fans to keep Crosby away from Maye as a condition of winning. Yahoo Sports called him a "dominant force" and flagged the Raiders' pass rush as the central challenge for New England's protection unit. Crosby himself was direct in his pregame comments about what he intends to do to Maye — no bulletin-board hedging.

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Jose Ramirez: A Roster Shuffle in Foxborough

On the other side of that Week 5 matchup, Eastern Michigan linebacker Jose Ramirez had a turbulent week of his own. The Patriots released Ramirez from their 53-man roster earlier in the week, then — after he cleared waivers — quickly re-signed him to the practice squad. Ramirez, who spent the preseason with the Eagles before landing in New England, remains in the organization but lost his active roster spot. The revolving door keeps him in the Eastern Michigan NFL family conversation, if just barely for now.

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Two Eagles from Ypsilanti, two very different orbits this week — Crosby commanding the biggest stage in football, Ramirez fighting to hold a roster spot on the team Crosby is about to face. College football fans love a subplot, and EMU delivered one.

The Eagle in the Room

Eastern Michigan doesn't exactly flood NFL rosters, but right now, one Eagle is the most talked-about defensive player in football. Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders enter Week 4 as the NFL's most surprising team — undefeated at 3-0 and headed into a first-place showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs that has the entire AFC West holding its breath.

The Raiders punched their ticket to the top of the division standings with a 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints on September 27, a game that was messier than the final score suggests. Las Vegas surrendered 27 points and didn't dominate defensively for 60 minutes — but when it mattered, Crosby and company delivered. The Raiders recovered three strip-sack fumbles, including one that sealed the win late. It was the kind of resilient, clutch defense that defines a Crosby-led unit.

After the game, Crosby was clear-eyed about what's been driving the fast start. He credited the Raiders' collective buy-in and execution in critical moments as the one reason the team sits where it does. Head coach Sean Kubiak's message to the roster reportedly carried some NSFW urgency — the kind of tone that tends to stick.

The Trade Noise Is Fading

Not long ago, Crosby's future in Las Vegas was the dominant storyline, not the team's record. Trade rumors had circulated persistently, casting a shadow over the franchise's rebuild. But that noise has grown considerably quieter. Per reports, the chatter hasn't completely disappeared, but the direction of the 2026 season appears to be pulling Crosby and the Raiders closer together — not further apart. The Sporting News reported this week that Crosby could end his career in Las Vegas after all, a sentence that would have felt far-fetched just months ago.

Crosby vs. Mahomes: AFC West on the Line

Now the only thing louder than the trade whispers used to be is the buildup to Sunday's Chiefs-Raiders matchup. Both teams are 3-0; the Broncos trail at 2-1 and the Chargers are a distant 0-3. Whoever wins claims a commanding early lead in the division race.

Patrick Mahomes, never short of quotable material, dropped what reporters described as a "familiar line" when asked about his rivalry with Crosby — acknowledging a "ton of respect" for the Eastern Michigan product while making clear the Chiefs intend to protect their throne. Kansas City's offensive staff has been publicly focused on neutralizing Crosby, while Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy offered strong words about the Raiders' defensive front heading into the week.

Crosby, for his part, made his feelings about Mahomes and the rivalry plain — and kept it just this side of printable. He also weighed in on Kansas City's newest weapon, offseason acquisition Kenneth Walker III, calling the former Super Bowl LX MVP a genuine problem in the backfield.

Chiefs fans and analysts have zeroed in on Crosby as the X-factor. Yahoo Sports' breakdown of Kansas City's keys to victory listed controlling the Eastern Michigan pass rusher as the single most important task — a testament to how central Crosby has become to every game plan drawn up against Las Vegas.

For EMU alumni watching the NFL this week, there's one clear place to focus attention. Kickoff can't come soon enough.

The Monster Is Back

Eastern Michigan's most prominent NFL export is making life miserable for opposing offenses — and the league is taking notice.

Maxx Crosby headlined a dominant Week 2 performance as the Las Vegas Raiders dismantled the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on the road at SoFi Stadium on September 20, pushing Las Vegas to a 2-0 start under new head coach Klint Kubiak. Crosby has logged 103 snaps through two games — a workload that underscores just how central the Eastern Michigan product is to everything the Raiders do defensively. After the win, Crosby was candid about the team's hot start, expressing genuine belief in what this squad is building in the Kubiak era.

His post-game message to the Chargers was characteristically direct — three words, maximum impact.

A Target on His Back (and His Name on Trade Sheets)

Crosby's dominance has a complicated side effect: it's keeping his name alive in trade speculation. The Dallas Cowboys, who reportedly pursued Crosby aggressively during the offseason, are once again being linked to the edge rusher, with a new Sports Illustrated report arguing a Raiders-Cowboys deal now makes more sense than ever. Whether Las Vegas — riding a 2-0 wave — has any interest in moving its best defensive player is another question entirely, but the Cowboys' need at the position keeps the chatter alive.

For now, Crosby appears locked in with the Raiders. A scouting report from Sports Illustrated ahead of Las Vegas's Week 3 trip to New Orleans flagged Crosby and the Raiders' pass rush as the most dangerous element opponents must account for — a unit capable of wrecking game plans before they start.

Week 3 Has a Must-Watch Subplot

The Raiders head to New Orleans for a chance at 3-0, and the matchup carries its own edge-rusher storyline. Saints pass rusher Chase Young offered a candid message directed at Crosby ahead of the game — a sign of the mutual respect, and competitive fire, between two of the better edge players in the conference. Through the early weeks of 2026, Crosby has been as good as anyone at his position, and Sunday's matchup figures to be one of the premier individual battles of the week.

Crosby also made headlines off the field this week, publicly defending Bears quarterback Caleb Williams amid criticism surrounding an injury — a reminder that the Raiders' star carries influence well beyond Las Vegas.

Elsewhere in the EMU Alumni Network

Two other Eagles saw roster-level developments this week. In Washington, veteran guard Andrew Wylie is in line to start at right guard for the Commanders in Week 3 after Sam Cosmi entered the concussion protocol — a familiar role for the experienced lineman, though competition from rookie Tanoa Togiai adds uncertainty to his hold on the spot.

In New England, linebacker Jose Ramirez was elevated to the Patriots' 53-man roster after safety Dell Pettus was placed on injured reserve. It's a meaningful promotion for the EMU product, who now has a chance to carve out a role on a rebuilding Patriots defense.

Eastern Michigan doesn't produce NFL talent at a factory pace — but when it does, the Eagles tend to matter. This week, three of them had something to prove.

Maxx Crosby Is Exactly Where He Wants to Be — and the NFL Knows It

Eastern Michigan's most famous alumni export spent the summer at the center of a league-wide bidding war. By Week 2, Maxx Crosby had made his answer clear: Las Vegas, full stop.

The Raiders defensive end crossed 70 career NFL sacks in Week 1, recording a sack in Las Vegas's 27-13 demolition of the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium — a win that saw the Raiders defense hold Miami scoreless for two of four quarters and rack up five total sacks. Crosby played 45 snaps, earning a 90.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, and quickly reminded anyone who needed reminding that the torn meniscus he suffered last season left no lasting damage.

The Trade Circus That Wasn't

The offseason storyline surrounding Crosby rivaled anything happening on the field. A reported trade to the Baltimore Ravens collapsed before it was consummated. The Los Angeles Rams — desperate for pass-rush help after signing Myles Garrett only to watch him go down with a knee injury requiring surgery — made a strenuous run at Crosby as their preferred alternative. The Cowboys received intel from Eagles trade chatter. The Bears had a former Chiefs All-Pro publicly urging Chicago's front office to get a deal done.

None of it landed. According to reports from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Crosby told teams directly that he no longer wanted to be traded after the Ravens deal fell apart. Sports Illustrated reported that Crosby told teams he was done pursuing an exit — a stance that effectively torpedoed the Cowboys' chances of pulling off a blockbuster deadline deal. The Sporting News confirmed the Rams had Crosby atop their wish list before pivoting to Garrett.

Crosby's own words reinforced the posture. He opened up publicly about calling it the craziest offseason of his NFL career, while Sports Illustrated detailed how the failed trade to Baltimore became a clarifying moment — one that left the EMU product describing himself as "born to be a Raider."

What Week 2 Looks Like

The trade noise hasn't fully quieted — the November 10 deadline ensures it won't — but the on-field product is giving Las Vegas every reason to keep Crosby in silver and black. The Raiders enter Week 2 at 1-0, and their Week 2 opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, is already bracing. Head coach Mike McDaniel quipped that it "would be cool" if Crosby "wanted to take a nap" during the matchup, while Jim Harbaugh issued his own sober pregame assessment of what facing the Eastern Michigan product means for any offensive line.

For Raiders fans and EMU alumni alike, the picture heading into the week is straightforward: Crosby at 70-plus career sacks, healthy, motivated, and not going anywhere. The league spent a summer trying to acquire him. He chose to stay home.