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Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.
The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a transformational period this offseason. A new head coach is coming in, which means that big changes are on the way.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby is a player that every team in the NFL would want. He’s an elite pass rusher, a leader and a relentless competitor. However, he’s getting older and wants to play for a winner.
The Raiders haven’t won much in a long time, and Crosby has been honest about his frustration. There’s been some talk that he could request a trade this offseason, but it’s too early in the process to know for sure.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a great season, but are probably a few pieces away from being true Super Bowl contenders. Crosby is a player who would help them a lot, but if they want him, it’s going to cost. Ryan O’Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union pitched a trade that sends Crosby to Jacksonville for two first-round picks, a third-round pick and former No. 1 pick Travon Walker.
“But too often during the season, the Jaguars failed to manufacture pressure against the top quarterbacks — 12 disruptions against San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, eight against the Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, seven against Seattle’s Sam Darnold, 10 against the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, 10 against Indianpolis’ Phillip Rivers and a season-low six against the Bills‘ Allen,” O’Hallaran said.
Raiders Would Have Hard Time Turning Down This Offer
If the Raiders are going to trade Crosby, this is about as good an offer as they could get. Not only do they get picks, but they also get a capable pass rusher to replace Crosby. Walker hasn’t lived up to his status as a No. 1 pick, but he’s still a solid player.
He has 27.5 sacks in four seasons. He’s coming off a down year, but had 10.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024. For the Jaguars, this is a steep price to pay. Crosby is an All-Pro-level player, but he’s been banged up the last couple of years and he’s getting older.
Raiders Ranked as Worst Head Coaching Opening
The Raiders aren’t going to make any decisions on Crosby until they figure out who is going to be the head coach next season. The team has been cycling through head coaches at a rapid rate, which is a big reason why Crosby might want to move.
Judy Battista of NFL.com ranked every head coaching opening in the NFL, and had the Raiders at the bottom.
“After the failure of the Carroll experiment, it’s reasonable to think the Raiders will go with a younger, offensive minded head coach,” Battista wrote. “Whoever it is, his first order of business should be mending fences with Maxx Crosby, the Raiders’ elite pass rusher, who was furious over the Raiders’ decision to shut him down with two games to go. But this is a long rebuild — the Raiders are the worst team in the league by a not particularly close margin, and they are in the AFC West, one of the toughest divisions in the game.”
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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