Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders is linked to a Dallas Cowboys trade
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Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders is linked to a Dallas Cowboys trade
It would be perfectly normal for Dallas Cowboys fans to take everything coming out of the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis this week with a grain of salt. Yes, Cowboys ownership said they would be open to trading some combination of the draft capital that’re still holding onto–they have two first-round picks, at No. 12 and No. 20–and Jerry Jones was clear in saying he would spend more this offseason than he has in any previous free-agency period.
But it’s a long way from bloviating to actually putting pens to contracts, and until the Cowboys get something done, fans and observers will hold fast to their skepticism.
Still, if there is a big-time name that keeps cropping up in Dallas–a genuine superstar–it’s the one most around the league have their eyes on: Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, who would give the team’s defense the kind of high-motor pass rusher it was so obviously missing after losing Micah Parsons last year. The price will be a factor, no doubt, but Crosby is the top trade chip on the market, and the Cowboys are being connected to him.
Raiders Finally Ready to Make Maxx Crosby Move
The latest example is Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer, who is reporting that the biggest hurdle to a Cowboys trade for Crosby is ready to be cleared. That would be the Raiders’ willingness to listen to offers for the five-time Pro Bowler. Crosby has long said he has no desire to leave the Raiders, and Vegas has had no inkling to trade him, but with the team firmly entering a rebuild and Crosby seeking to win, now would appear to be the time for bother sides to change their tune.
That’s happening as we speak, according to Breer.
He writes, “***I’d lean toward a Maxx Crosby trade happening, and maybe this week.***But there’s going to have to be some needle-threading. I don’t think the Raiders want to go through the song-and-dance of shopping him, nor do I believe Crosby wants it advertised that he’s looking for suitors, given his bond with owner Mark Davis, and his view of himself as a Raider.”
Cowboys Have Draft Picks to Offer
There had been talk that getting Crosby out of the Raiders’ fold would require the kind of package the Packers gave up for Parsons, built around two first-round picks and a starter, Kenny Clark. But at 29 years old and coming off two seasons in which he was slowed by ankle and knee issues, Breer says that the Raiders are not likely to command that level of assets in return.
Breer notes that there will be a market for Crosby, and it will be a competitive one, if the Cowboys do get involved. He added, “teams like Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Buffalo, New England, Philadelphia and the Rams (are) keeping tabs on his availability.”
Even in a shortened, 15-game season, the Raiders got 10.0 sacks from Crosby last year, and 28 tackles for a loss. He won’t be cheap when it comes to his cap hit, either–Crosby is in the second year of a three-year, $106 million contract. But the Cowboys’ defense needs a centerpiece player, and Crosby would certainly fill that bill.