All right, we know that the cooler heads covering the Dallas Cowboys have already insisted that the news coming out of The Star on Thursday evening has nothing to do with an impending move from the team, even though there have been suggestions of defensive blockbuster trades and other machinations all summer. But we do know for sure from reporting by ESPN’s Todd Archer that the Cowboys restructured three contracts this week, and in doing so, created about $33 million in cap space. And we know that owner Jerry Jones, a little more than a month ago, said they had not given up on a potential pursuit of a Maxx Crosby trade.
Crosby, at $31 million, would fit nicely into that $33 million in space the Cowboys have. And though Archer, as well as others on the Dallas beat, have said unequivocally that the team did not pull off these moves with Crosby–or any major NFL trade–in mind, it is an odd thing for a team to restructure contracts less than 10 days before the start of the season. Also noteworthy: Many of the Cowboys beat-writing folks admonished us that Micah Parsons was not going to be traded a little more than a year ago.
Maxx Crosby for Two 1st-Round Picks?
In other words, anything can happen, and even if the Cowboys ultimately do just hold onto this cap space and roll it into the 2027 season–the most likely outcome–there’s no need to rain on the possibility of Crosby heading to Dallas. In fact, at Bleacher Report, they’ve put forth a full Cowboys trade prediction that has the team landing Crosby for a hefty outlay, contingent on the Cowboys having a good start before the trade deadline and the Raiders having a poor one.
So, what would Dallas give up? A lot. From B/R, in an article titled, “Bold Trade Predictions Before the 2026 NFL Season Kicks Off“:
Cowboys Get: Edge Maxx Crosby
Raiders Get: 2027 1st-Round Pick, 2028 1st-Round Pick, Edge Rashan Gary
Maxx Crosby Could Be on the Market at the Deadline
That is a significant outlay for the Cowboys who were, you might remember, heavily involved in trying to trade for Crosby in February. That deal was scuppered by the fact that the Cowboys would not give up two first-round picks, and when the Ravens decided they would give up those two picks, the Raiders made the trade with Baltimore.
Then the Ravens decided Crosby’s knee was still injured and rescinded the deal.
As B/R writes: “If Dallas looks like a formidable playoff contender by November, trading valuable draft capital—along with a proven player like Rashan Gary, who was acquired via trade early in the offseason—to get Crosby could be the sort of all-in move that Jones believes will get him to the Super Bowl.
“The Raiders seem content to keep Crosby after their offseason trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through. However, they could revisit the idea of flipping the 29-year-old if they’re struggling to compete in late October.”
Cowboys Unlikely to Pay Too High a Price
It is easy to understand the fascination with sending Crosby to the Cowboys–the fit is there, Dallas still needs an established defensive star, the Cowboys are making Super Bowl claims and Jerry Jones has kept the door open.
But it is hard to imagine the Cowboys, after having given up on Crosby once the price got to two first-rounders, turning around and giving up two first-rounders and Gary for a player who flunked Baltimore’s physical. That does not mean the Cowboys won’t eventually get in on Crosby again in the coming months, just that they’re not going to pay that price.
If they were, they would have done it six months ago.
Cowboys News Sparks ‘Bold’ Maxx Crosby Trade Prediction