Either the Raiders are in a holding pattern with Maxx Crosby, waiting until the trade window that reopens through the draft annually to accept another offer, or they are truly prepared to move forward with a player they were ready to unload in a blockbuster.
The fallout from Baltimore’s nixing of a trade agreement has mostly brought quiet on the Crosby trade front. Teams like the Bears, Cowboys, Jaguars, Patriots and Seahawks have been tied to Crosby. The Bears, Jags and Cowboys were more aggressive during the initial trade derby — one thought to have ended with the Ravens’ offer of two first-round picks. Baltimore infamously backing out of the deal due to long-term concerns about Crosby’s health prompted a terse statement from the Raiders and a quick return to the team facility from Crosby.
Crosby had made a quiet trade request, as he wanted the Raiders to collect full value for him rather than create a situation where it became an impasse that potentially depressed his trade cost. (It is rather interesting that Crosby’s request became known after the Ravens agreement was done; that would seemingly change things for the Raiders if/when they talk to other teams about the ninth-year EDGE.)
Mark Davis, however, has long voiced a preference to retain Crosby. He did so at multiple trade deadlines, shutting down interest in his top player, and called Crosby “a great Raider” in February, indicating he wanted the All-Pro edge rusher to be “part of our success moving forward.”
Although Davis signed off on the Crosby-Ravens swap, the longtime owner said recently (via Raiders.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he “never wanted Maxx to leave.” That said, when asked if he could envision a scenario in which Crosby is dealt again, Davis said to “ask John [Spytek] and Maxx and Klint [Kubiak].”
The Patriots came up as a team that could circle back to Crosby, while Jerry Jones has said such a pursuit is unlikely (though, Jones did not slam the door shut there). Jacksonville now has two big-ticket contracts at the position, extending Travon Walker to join Josh Hines-Allen among the NFL’s top-12 highest-paid edge defenders. The Bears added Dayo Odeyingbo on a $16MM-per-year deal to accompany Montez Sweat but watched the ex-Colt suffer an Achilles tear in November.
New England lost K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency (to Washington) but added Dre’Mont Jones on a three-year, $36.5MM deal to play opposite Harold Landry. Jones does have an extensive past as an interior pass rusher, potentially keeping the door open for Crosby to join he and Landry in Foxborough. The Pats would seemingly balk at the idea of acquiring both Crosby and A.J. Brown due to the draft capital required to pull off those moves. This might be an either/or scenario.
Crosby, 28, is back rehabbing with a Raiders team he had wanted to leave. How the remaining lot of EDGE-needy teams address their respective issues in the draft could create a summer trade sweepstakes, a la the Micah Parsons or Khalil Mack derbies (each wrapped in August). It would stand to reason the Raiders would be interested in another trade, seeing as they were ready to move on.
For the time being, Crosby joins FA addition Kwity Paye, the re-signed Malcolm Koonce and underwhelming former top-10 pick Tyree Wilson with the Raiders. If a trade does not take place before the draft — and signs point to that indeed not happening — the August roster-setting date and the November trade deadline will be points on the calendar to monitor.
Next week:
“Both The Las Vegas And Oakland City Councils Did Not Want The Raiders To Trade Maxx Crosby”