Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders got serious trade interest from the Dallas Cowboys.
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Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders got serious trade interest from the Dallas Cowboys.
There have been hints and suggestions coming from a variety of NFL sources that have been the cause of some enthusiasm among the Dallas Cowboys faithful. Those suggestions say that the Raiders, after having dealt away Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks only to have the deal abruptly rescinded on medical grounds by Baltimore, would still be willing to open up talks on Crosby as the dust settles from their first failed attempt.
That, obviously, has lifted up plenty of dander around the Cowboys, who were seen as the runners-up in the sweepstakes for Crosby’s services. But Dallas would not give up two first-rounders the way Baltimore originally did, and thus, the Cowboys missed out.
But now that Crosby has been returned to Las Vegas and is in the awkward position of playing for a two-win team that tried to trade him away, there are whispers that the Cowboys could try to pry Crosby away with a bargain offer. Crosby has said he is happy to return to the Raiders, but that won’t preclude Las Vegas from hearing out other offers.
Cowboys ‘Out’ on Major Pass-Rusher Trade
Still, even if the Raiders do open up the Crosby market again, don’t expect the Cowboys to be part of it. After losing out on Crosby, the Cowboys decided not to pursue star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, or any other star free-agent pass-rusher, for that matter. Instead, they traded a 2027 fourth-rounder for Rashan Gary, the Packers star who has had an up-and-down few years in Green Bay.
The Cowboys still need pass-rush help. But according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, that will come from the draft, not from a signing or a trade, for Crosby or anyone else.
Wrote Watkins on Tuesday: “It seems the Cowboys are out of the Maxx Crosby picture. The team offered two draft picks — a first- and second-rounder — and was willing to take on a bulk of his salary and deal with his knee issues. Now that the Crosby trade with Baltimore fell through, going back at Crosby isn’t in the plans at this stage. Trading for Rashan Gary and focusing on finding another pass rusher in the NFL draft is where the Cowboys sit right now.”
Maxx Crosby Now a Health Risk
Indeed, it might be a while yet before the window for the Cowboys to trade for Crosby re-opens. Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer says that, despite the possibility that they’re throwing up a smokescreen, the Raiders will go forward with Crosby at least to open 2026.
That’s mostly because, even with Crosby’s balky knee–he had meniscus surgery–the Raiders won’t lower their price of two first-round picks for Crosby. And no team is going to pay that, knowing that Crosby is a dented can.
Writes Breer: “***I’d believe Maxx Crosby and the Raiders when they tell you they’re moving forward together.***Here’s why: Las Vegas was never going to give Crosby away. And when teams tried to look for such a deal in calling the Raiders after last Tuesday’s physical fiasco, they heard as much.
“Could someone come along and offer the ransom number for Crosby? Sure, but I don’t see that being likely. … If you do, and then he breaks down in the next year or two, it becomes awfully hard to explain it to your owner.”
Breer does suggest that Crosby’s name could be back on the market at next season’s NFL trade deadline, so for the Cowboys, the long-term possibility is not exactly dead.