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Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders has been linked to the Cowboys.
It’s become one of the idle fantasies of the Dallas Cowboys offseason, but as the winter has moved forward, it looks like it might not be so idle and may not be a fantasy, after all. That’s because star pass rusher Maxx Crosby continues to be unhappy with the direction of his current team, the Raiders, and because the Cowboys have the means and the motive to acquire him.
That’s according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who did caution that the Raiders are still reluctant to find a trade for Crosby and that Crosby (who signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract last year) has not requested one. But those things could be coming, and Schultz named the Cowboys–with Super Bowl participants the Seahawks and Patriots–as one of the teams in line to bag him.
The Cowboys certainly have a need, after having traded Micah Parsons just ahead of the 2025 season. Dallas’ pass rush actually performed well relative to the rest of the abysmal defense, but lacked a play-maker on the front line. Crosby could be that guy.
Cowboys Would Have to Give Up ‘Micah Parsons Package’
Schultz said the key to adding Crosby will be the willingness to give up a package along the line of what the Packers gave the Cowboys for Parsons in August–first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus Kenny Clark. The Cowboys still have the extra 2026 first-rounder, but traded the 2027 pick for Quinnen Williams.
Said Schultz: “The only way the Raiders move Crosby is if they command somewhere along the lines of a Micah Parsons package. If you go back to that deal, that’s the type of haul that the Raiders would have to get to even consider moving Crosby. I don’t even know if they want to move him. I’m not convinced they do.
“If they start to consider moving him as you get past the Combine, that’s where a lot of this stuff starts to materialize, at the Combine, it is going to take a Micah Parsons size haul to make it happen.”
Maxx Crosby Among NFL’s Best, But Has Dealt With Injuries
Crosby, no doubt, is among the best pass rushers in the NFL and worth the picks if the Cowboys can make it happen. He has 69.5 career sacks in seven seasons, and twice led the league in tackles for loss, with 22 in 2022 and 23 in 2023. He has been a Pro Bowler for five straight seasons, and was rated in the top four among edge rushers by Pro Football Focus every year from 2021-23.
But he has had injury trouble lately, which should provide a note of caution for anyone seeking to trade for him. Crosby played 12 games in 2024, the first time he has missed games in his career, with a high-ankle injury that he had been dealing with since the beginning of the season.
Last season, Crosby had a knee injury that bothered him throughout the season, but he again tried to play through it. The Raiders finally told him they were going to sit him out, in part ebcause they were playing for the No. 1 pick.
Crosby was not happy. “Yeah, I don’t give a (expletive) about the pick,” he said. “I don’t play for that. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world.”
That sparked rumors that a breakup between the sides was coming. The Raiders have already begun the work of trying to soothe Crosby, who has said he wants to retire a Raider. But he also wants to win, and with one playoff game in his entire career and another Raiders rebuild coming, that’s not going to happen soon.
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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