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With the uncertainty around the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Maxx Crosby, teams are being urged to inquire about a potential trade for the veteran pass rusher. One of the latest teams to receive that message is the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now the question is whether the Bengals will want to give up the draft capital needed to land someone like Crosby. Although the Bengals haven’t made the playoffs since 2023, they are in a window to compete now with Joe Burrow at quarterback.
As a result, former Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth is urging Cincinnati to make an aggressive move and trade for Crosby.
“Obviously, [trading for Crosby would] be a lot of capital, trying to figure out how to get that worked out,” Whitworth said on a Feb. 16 clip from the “Fitz & Whit” podcast. “But that would be the young guy tone setter, the example for your defense every single day.
“You’ve got some D‑line in there that are young guys who you want to play better. Put one of the hardest‑playing, best guys that any young defensive lineman could follow in the world, and Maxx Crosby around them. Pay him the money, spend the draft pick, the tenth pick, send it if you have to. Put the example in the room. My biggest prediction fits: Go get Maxx Crosby at all costs.”
Raiders Get Blunt Perspective Regarding Maxx Crosby
Amid all the speculation surrounding Crosby, on the Feb. 13 edition of The Athletic Show, The Athletic’s Dave Helman gave a blunt perspective of how this situation will play out.
“It really feels like it’s going to come down to how good a job Klint can do selling Crosby on his vision for the Raiders and having a pathway to the No. 1 overall pick,” Helman said. “Drafting Fernando Mendoza may go a long way toward selling Crosby that he wants to be here for this. But it doesn’t feel that easy to me, like with the way they shut him down at the end of the season and how unhappy he clearly was about that.
“The amount of speculation that’s already been in place—really for like two years at this point—feels like it’s on Crosby to say, ‘All right, no, I see the vision, and I’m here for this, or yeah, this is the time.’ It makes sense with the contract. It makes sense where he is in his career. He’s still firmly in his prime, but it’s getting to the point where how many more years can you count on that?”
Insider Gives Latest on Maxx Crosby Situation
On Feb. 12, Rapoport provided an update on Crosby and the timing of a potential trade, noting that the Raiders star is coming off an injury that prompted the team to shut him down at the end of last season.
“My understanding is this is something I discussed on Super Bowl Sunday, not a rumor, not an innuendo; he did have a meniscus repair, which, although relatively minor, is still measured in months, not weeks,” Rapoport said.
“What that means is it’s hard to imagine a team trading for Maxx Crosby without him being fully healthy and able to pass a physical, which probably moves his timeline closer to the draft or maybe before the season.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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