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(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
While no trade is on the horizon, the future of Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby is a major talking point heading into the 2026 NFL season. If Crosby is his dominant self after his torn meniscus injury, then teams will be calling the Silver and Black leading up to the trade deadline.
Moreover, if the Raiders come out slow to start the season, the rumors and speculation will intensify. This offseason, Las Vegas traded Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, but a failed physical caused the trade to fall apart.
After that situation, talks about Crosby’s future went quiet. However, after the trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, speculation about the Raiders star resurfaced.
Former NFL offensive lineman Willie Colon believes teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, or any team that feels their window to win a Super Bowl is now, shouldn’t hesitate to give up two first-round picks for Crosby.
“I think if you’re the Cowboys, if you’re the Bills, if you’re the Bears, if you’re the Bengals, you’re offering two first-round picks and an opportunity to go get Maxx Crosby,” Colon said on the July 30 edition of “First Things First.” “That’s the bottom line.
“I mean, this guy with 10 sacks last season, 28 tackles for loss, and supposedly an injury-plagued season can still produce for you. He’s the finished product you want if you feel like you’re a championship contender. So go get him.”
Will Maxx Crosby Finish the Season With the Raiders?
Meanwhile, in that same segment, FOX Sports’ Danny Parkins believes that Crosby won’t finish the 2026 season as a Raider, meaning an in-season trade could be on the horizon if the veteran shows he’s healthy.
“I said at the time that Crosby wasn’t going to play another game for the Raiders,“ Parkins said. “Now I’ll say, I don’t think he finishes the season for the Raiders. I would imagine you can trade for a defensive end, and they can make an adjustment in-season more easily than with an offensive player because of timing, certainly a quarterback or something like that.
“I would think it’s like, let me see if he’s healthy. Go out and play the first four weeks or the first six weeks. Look good, the Raiders are struggling, he’s 28 years old, he’s not on Mendoza’s timeline, and then someone re-engages the Raiders and says, ‘Hey, we’ll give you a first-round pick this year for him to come over and help us win the Super Bowl.’”
Radio Host on What Maxx Crosby Would Mean to Cowboys
Last season with the Raiders, Crosby played 935 total snaps on defense, leading to a 79.7 overall PFF defensive grade. The veteran pass rusher generated 53 total pressures, 10 sacks, 31 hurries, 12 QB hits, and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, against the run, he recorded 46 solo tackles.
Regarding the Cowboys, Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The FAN issued a clear message to Dallas, noting that Crosby would take the team’s defense to another level in a competitive NFC East and conference.
“I think this would be the Purple People Eaters, the Fearsome Foursome, the Grits Blitz, the Steel Curtain,“ Broaddus said in a July 28 video from 105.3 The FAN. “Just name them all. Just name every defense that’s ever been great.
“And yes, Maxx Crosby would make this defense great. Maxx Crosby plays some run defense. Maxx Crosby gets tackles behind the line; Maxx Crosby gets sacks. Yes, he will help this defense. That would be incredible.”
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