Are the Raiders still open to the idea of trading Maxx Crosby?
Based on comments from ESPN’s Adam Schefter last week, Crosby isn’t going anywhere. But there has been some chatter in recent days that Crosby’s status with the Raiders isn’t quite as comfortable and cozy as it has been portrayed.
Whether that’s accurate or not remains to be seen, but the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore made an interesting series of statements on Monday (on the Raiders flagship radio station no less), and it sounded like Bonsignore might be leaning toward the possibility of a Crosby trade actually coming together.
Bonsignore has been well-connected with the Los Angeles Rams for years, and he discussed the Rams as a potential trade partner for Crosby. The long time Raiders and Rams beat writer even made the argument that Crosby’s trade value might be worth more to the organization than his presence on the field considering the Raiders aren’t perceived to be on the doorstep of competing for a Super Bowl.
“[The Rams] have players that they could give up… some pretty good ones at [Crosby’s] position, quite honestly. Jared Verse comes to mind. Somebody that is going to be due for a contract, plays the same [position]. There’s a lot of different ways that they could do that,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“The Rams aren’t the Ravens. I’ll also put that out there right now… If you’re the Raiders, you have to be listening. I’m telling you that right now. You have got to be listening because you’re where you are right now. This is where you are. You’re not knocking on the door for the Super Bowl. Everything is about the future,” Bonsignore continued.
“Everything is about Fernando Mendoza and the future and building this the right way. I’m not saying that they’re by any means shopping a Maxx Crosby at this point… but I know, I don’t even think, I know that there’s interest from other teams in him and somebody could make just as the Cincinnati Bengals did for Dexter Lawrence. Look, the Giants didn’t have to do anything… but somebody came up with an offer that they couldn’t refuse and that’s where I’m headed with that. And there’s definitely, without question, one thousand percent an offer that the Raiders would be interested in.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Crosby’s name is coming up again in trade conversations, and there’s no question that if a trade comes together (again), everyone involved is going to make sure it doesn’t play out in the public arena the way the Baltimore agreement did.
One other detail to keep in mind is that several reports said Crosby had issues with certain people in the Raiders’ building. Spytek said this week that he and Crosby talked through things, but it’s widely believed that Crosby’s concerns weren’t necessarily with Spytek.
Maybe everything between Crosby and the Raiders is back to roses and rainbows, but the team traded him once and it would be naive to believe it can’t happen again.
x: @raidersbeat