The Dallas Cowboys came with a strong trade offer for Maxx Crosby, but it wasn’t enough to pry the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end away from the Las Vegas Raiders, who sent him to the Baltimore Ravens instead. In the aftermath, a prominent NFL insider has linked Dallas to a top free agent edge-rusher in free agency.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Sunday, March 8 explained why the Cowboys missed out on Crosby.
“Dallas kept a hard line throughout. The franchise wasn’t willing to part with two first-round picks, hoping its 12th pick in April’s draft, plus a future second-rounder, would be enough to entice Las Vegas,” Fowler reported. “Dallas was also willing to package a veteran player to sweeten the deal, but Vegas wasn’t interested in that. The Raiders prioritized picks.”
The Cowboys surrendered edge-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two first-rounders and defensive tackle Kenny Clark back in August, but clearly didn’t want to part with everything they gained in that deal to land an older and less accomplished player in Crosby.
Fowler wrote that Dallas has now turned its attention to Trey Hendrickson, soon to be formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, as NFL free agency is set to kick off this week.
“Dallas must now pivot to free agency to land its pass rusher,” Fowler continued. “It has monitored Trey Hendrickson dating back to the trade deadline. He’s now a free agent.”
Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, his second consecutive season posting that total after doing so in 2023 as well. His numbers dropped along with his games played total last season, as injuries kept Hendrickson sidelined for 10 of 17 contests.
He was a four-time consecutive Pro Bowler prior to 2025 and will turn 32 years old late next season. Spotrac projects Hendrickson to command north of $25 million annually on a new contract this month.
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