Maybe, at long last, the dream is dead. It was a heck of a nine-month ride, though, the drama around the Dallas Cowboys and star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who was nearly lassoed by Jerry Jones back in late February and early March with a series of trade offers built around a first-round pick and other assets. We know what happened from there, though: The Raiders held out for two first-rounders, got them from the Ravens, who then rescinded the trade citing Crosby’s knee issues.
The Cowboys’ hopes never really died after that, though, as the team continues to hint that a big deal might be coming and the presumption being, often, that the target would be Crosby. Even at the opening of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Jones told reporters he never walked away from a Crosby trade–indicating the talks could be resuscitated at some point.
Maxx Crosby Staying Put
Now, with the NFL trade deadline just 10 days away, it appears that the Raiders have walked away from the Cowboys–and the 30 other teams–when it comes to trading Crosby. That comes thanks to a report from ESPN insider Adam Schefter on Sunday morning.
He writes: “Unlike last year, when Maxx Crosby openly wondered about his future in Las Vegas, this year he doesn’t want to go anywhere and the Raiders currently have no plans of trading him, according to league sources.”
I his story, Schefter cited a source saying: “Maxx absolutely does not want to leave Las Vegas under any circumstances,” one source told ESPN this weekend. “His hope, though not in his full control, is that he remains a Raider for life.”
Cowboys Done on the Trade Market?
That sounds pretty definitive, and if the Cowboys are going to add a top-level defensive edge, they will need to look elsewhere–they’ve been consistently linked to Josh Sweat of the Cardinals, but because they have only four picks left in next year’s draft, the feeling is that they won’t be aggressive enough to pull off a deal like that.
Jones said this week that the Cowboys made their big move, bringing in Joey Porter Jr. as their new starting cornerback. There simply aren’t the assets to do more.
Still, there will be hope held out. There always is. As longtime Cowboys insider Mike Fisher wrote on Twitter/X: “ESPN’s @AdamSchefter this am chimes in, ‘The #Raiders currently have no plans of trading him, according to league sources.’ Of course, 1) that’s what was reported laat spring, before they did indeed trade him and 2) the word ‘currently’ might be carrying a big load here.”
Keeping the dream alive, for another 10 days, at least.
Cowboys Get Trade News on Final Maxx Crosby Decision