The chatter surrounding the potential trade of Maxx Crosby out of Las Vegas has heated up in recent days, with some analysts believing a deal could be coming sooner rather than later. A lot of that stems from the defensive end's growing frustration with the organization, most notably the presence of Tom Brady's trainer guru Alex Guerrero, a name familiar to Patriots fans.
Given Brady's unique views on nutrition and fitness, Guerrero has been a consistent part of his entourage for many years, and that has become an issue for coaches throughout his career. It even got to the point of Bill Belichick banning him from having an office at Gillette Stadium.
Now his presence is reportedly causing problems out West, with Crosby taking issue with Guerrero's input with the Raiders' training since Guerrero is constantly around.
Because Brady is now a partial owner of the franchise, it's unlikely that Guerrero will be going anywhere anytime soon, and that could lead to more issues with the star pass rusher, who has already hinted at wanting off the team.
That works in the Patriots' favor with free agency right around the corner.
The Patriots might be able to get a Maxx Crosby trade done thanks to Tom Brady
Mike Silver of The Athletic revealed some more behind-the-scenes insight into what's going on in Las Vegas, stating just how much of a problem Guerrero has become for some players on the team.
"Guerrero, who regularly attends practices and meetings, purports to possess significant organizational power, informing players of impending transactions and even indicating to staff members who don't follow his instructions that their jobs may be at risk.
Guerrero is perceived to have a direct pipeline to Brady, who lives in Florida and serves as Fox's lead NFL analyst, limiting his in-person presence. Suffice it to say that there are trust issues permeating the Raiders' training facility in Henderson, Nev."
Allowing someone who was only officially hired to the staff last August and has no real football knowledge outside of being a wellness guru for the greatest quarterback of all time to get in the way of potentially retaining a superstar player is certainly a bold decision by the Raiders, and it could come back to bite them if things get messier.
New head coach Clint Kubiak has already stated he wants to keep Crosby around, but the growing sense from NFL insiders suggests it's only a matter of hours or days before he's likely traded, and it would be fair to assume Guerrero's presence could be a reason for that.
It's not too far from the issues New England had with Guerrero when Brady was leading their team, and it appears that those problems have followed the quarterback to the AFC West.
Hopefully for them, Guerrero's behavior won't deter other players to the point of wanting a trade, but the fact that it might already be leading Crosby to that decision is concerning enough, especially considering how much work the Raiders need to be a contender again.