The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten off to a disappointing start, losing three straight since starting 2-2. And after trading Davante Adams, the Raiders look like clear sellers at this year’s NFL trade deadline.
That has many speculating about the possibility of Vegas trading its other superstar, defensive end Maxx Crosby. Below, we examine the pros and cons of a potential Crosby trade, plus teams who could represent potential landing spots for the edge rusher.
Why Would the Raiders Trade Maxx Crosby?
It’s rarely good business to trade young stars under contract. Crosby is only 27 years old and is under contract for two more years after this season. That would seemingly make him a prime foundational candidate for the next era during this Raiders rebuild.
Unfortunately, the Raiders are going nowhere fast, which raises the possibility that Crosby could be more valuable to the team as a trade chip at the deadline. Las Vegas will almost certainly be in the market for a quarterback come draft time, and an extra first-rounder (perhaps more) could help them in trade negotiations to move up in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It’s worth remembering, too, that as terrific as Crosby has been, he hasn’t really moved the needle on the Raiders’ bottom line. Las Vegas has finished 24th or lower in scoring defense in four of Crosby’s first five seasons, and so far this season, they rank 29th.
The Raiders are much more than one piece away from being a whole unit on that side of the ball. Crosby’s cost control would make it difficult to stomach moving him, but it would also maximize his value.
As a reminder, the Los Angeles Rams reportedly offered two first-rounders and a second-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Brian Burns at the 2022 trade deadline. Burns was on a rookie deal, but Crosby is a much higher performer and also under contract for two more seasons (as Burns was at the time).
That type of haul could be exactly what the Raiders need to build a new foundation, whether that’s with head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco or under new leadership.
Maxx Crosby Contract Breakdown
Crosby has two years remaining on the four-year, $94 million extension he signed in 2022. His cap hit for 2025 is $28.2 million, while his cap hit for 2026 shrinks to $24.8 million.
Depending on the timing of a trade, an acquiring team would need somewhere between $14-16 million in cap space to fit Crosby in without restructuring any contracts on their existing cap sheet. The number fluctuates because Crosby’s remaining base salary for 2024 shrinks by the week, and each game that passes without a trade is one less per-game roster bonus to pay.
Crosby’s dead cap hit is only $10.2 million next season, a result of his relatively small $13 million signing bonus.
Potential Crosby Trade Destinations
Detroit Lions
This is the most obvious fit with Aidan Hutchinson done for the rest of the regular season. Hutchinson accounted for over half of the Lions’ pressures at the time of his fractured fibula and tibia. With Marcus Davenport and John Cominsky also done for the year, Detroit’s edge depth is dangerously thin.
Crosby himself has stoked some of these rumors recently. After saying he had no interest in going through a rebuild, he shared an Instagram post encouraging him to “come home” to Michigan. Crosby played college football at Eastern Michigan.
Maybe I'm looking wayyyy too much into this, but… 👀@officialctpod @jeffiafrate @DetroitOnLion
@PistonsRuined @1ukasklotz @PrideOfDetroit @DetroitPodcast #OnePride pic.twitter.com/vCWVqvi1EI— Justin Mane (@JustinManeOff) October 19, 2024
The Lions have $27.4 million in cap space per Spotrac, which would be enough to absorb the roughly $16 million cap hit they’d take if Crosby were traded ahead of the deadline. That cap number would go down each week as the season goes on, but Detroit can fit him comfortably today.
San Francisco 49ers
An edge-rushing tandem of Crosby and Nick Bosa would be completely ferocious while also giving the injury-depleted Niners a sorely needed boost on defense.
San Francisco ranks 16th in scoring defense, its lowest rank since 2020. That team finished 6-10 amid a spate of injuries, the last time the 49ers did not reach the NFC Championship Game.
Like the Lions, the Niners do have the cap space to make this work. San Francisco currently owns a projected $53.3 million in cap space, the most in the NFL. The tricky factor here is that they also have numerous stars in need of extensions soon, including Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle.
Nevertheless, the 49ers are firmly in a win-now window and don’t really have time to play for 2025 with their 3-4 start. It’s unclear if Mark Davis could stomach seeing Crosby traded to their former Bay Area rivals, but the 49ers should force a hard no from the Raiders first.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have been notoriously slow to pay their stars in recent years. With Micah Parsons due for an extension, it’s unclear how the political dynamics would play out in the locker room if Jerry Jones brought in a much more well-compensated edge rusher before paying Parsons.
But that’s a problem to deal with for later, as the Cowboys are in a well-publicized win-now window and are flailing amid a 3-3 start. The defense has been the primary culprit, with the Cowboys ranking 31st in scoring defense. Injuries to Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence have sapped the pass rush, but Parsons’ imminent return would make for a frightening combination with Crosby.
Dallas has not operated in a financial style that would make you think the franchise is amenable to adding an expensive multi-year veteran to its cap sheet. But if the Cowboys are a serious “all-in” franchise, adding Crosby would finally back up those words.