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Inglewood, CA, Sunday, November 30, 2025 – Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrates a second consecutive sack of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
It would be quite a curveball for Cowboys fans, media and observers if, when the dust settles on the very unpopular Micah Parsons trade, it turns out that Jerry Jones was … right? With Raiders star Maxx Crosby (finally) unhappy with his lot in Las Vegas, Jones and the Cowboys are well-positioned to pounce on a potential trade to bring Crosby to Dallas and give the Cowboys the kind of elite pass-rusher the team lost when it dealt away Parsons in August.
There are a lot of ifs and hypotheticals involved here, but the outline of potential events is clear: Crosby is unhappy because the Raiders shut him down for the final two weeks of the season as they seek to hold on to their spot with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Crosby has always been outspoken about his loyalty to the Raiders, despite having gone to one playoff game in seven years.
Cowboys Could Bring Maxx Crosby Home
That, though, appears to be changing. Opportunity, Cowboys.
Crosby attended Colleyville Heritage High School just outside of Dallas, and has spoken of his fondness for the area. Coming to the Cowboys would represent a homecoming of sorts–he is from Michigan, but moved to Texas as a teenager. He is under contract, having signed a three-year, $106 million deal back in March, among the richest n the market for a defensive player.
The Cowboys have means and motive to trade for Crosby. They gained two extra first-round picks from the Packers in the Parsons trade and used one of them (2027) to bring in Quinnen Williams. They could package their own pick and the Packers’ pick in 2026 to bring in Crosby, a package they’d likely need to dress up with some later picks, too.
‘Maxx Crosby on the Cowboys?’
The Cowboys are certainly getting encouragement from the local media.
As Zak Wolchuk of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas wrote on Twitter/X: “Do the Cowboys draft this year or do they just go get Crosby?”
Longtime Cowboys reporter Mike Fisher wrote, “Let the Maxx Crosby to #Cowboys trade rumors (responsible or otherwise) begin!”
The gambling site FanDuel posted a proposed trade that had the Cowboys sending out a 2026 and 2027 first-rounder for Crosby, with a third-rounder coming back to Dallas. “MAXX CROSBY ON THE COWBOYS?? Should the Raiders and Cowboys make this deal in the offseason to send him to Dallas?” the site wrote.
Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News wrote, “Two firsts who says no?”
GettyOwner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys
Raiders Downplay Incident
Now, the first question is whether the Cowboys want to give up that much draft capital and shift around enough money to get Crosby into The Star. The second question is whether the Raiders would really trade Crosby, who has been a franchise cornerstone since he was picked in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
Here’s what Jay Glazer of Fox Sports wrote: “Scoopage: Raiders told Maxx Crosby they want to shut him down last two games. Crosby, who has played with injuries for much of the year, vehemently disagreed and has left the building @nflonfox has learned. This could lead to questions on his future in Vegas.”
Raiders coach Pete Carroll shot back at that report, though, saying, “He knows that he’s banged up. He said, ‘I’d like to get out of here,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, get out of here,’ so he took off.”
Carroll suggested that the whole thing won’t affect Crosby’s future with the team. Maybe two Cowboys first-rounders will change that.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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