After a 3-0 start, the Las Vegas Raiders have dropped four straight games and now sit at 3-4. What initially started as the Silver and Black potentially adding to the team around the trade deadline due to their surprising start has now evolved into Maxx Crosby trade speculation.
The Raiders could defeat the New York Jets in Week 8 and quiet down the speculation regarding Crosby, as a win would move them to 4-4 heading into their bye week. However, a loss to the Jets would only increase the speculation.
In an Oct. 27 article, Zachary Rotman of FanSided published three realistic trade ideas involving Crosby. One of them would see the veteran edge rusher head to the Chicago Bears.
As part of his trade pitch, Rotman has the Bears giving up a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick, with Crosby and a 2027 fifth-round pick heading the other way to Chicago.
“The deal that’d send Crosby to Chicago would look awfully similar to the one that would’ve sent him to Baltimore over the offseason, but with a couple of caveats,” Rotman wrote.
“First, instead of picking early in the first round as the Raiders would’ve with the Ravens trade, they’d be acquiring two picks almost certain to be later in the first round of the next two drafts. Second, the Raiders would be giving up a fifth-round pick. This makes sense, as the Bears would be losing half a season that the Ravens would’ve gotten.”
Why Maxx Crosby Trade Idea Makes Sense for Raiders, Bears
Moreover, Rotman shared why this deal makes sense for the Bears and Raiders, as Chicago would get an instant pass rush boost while the Silver and Black get the draft picks to help them in their rebuild.
“Despite the slightly altered package, this deal is one that makes sense for both sides,” Rotman added in his article. “The Bears would be going all-in, which makes a lot of sense given that this is their contention window.
“As for the Raiders, trading Crosby hurts, but getting most of the value they would’ve gotten in the offseason would allow them to kick their rebuild into high gear. You can still find tremendous value late in first rounds.”
Maxx Crosby Has Clear Message After Week 7 Loss
With the Raiders losing the fourth straight game after their Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Crosby didn’t hold back his thoughts on the team’s situation for what looked like a promising start to the season, now heading toward another losing campaign for the Silver and Black if the situation continues to go off the rails.
“You just got to keep finding ways to get better,” Crosby told reporters postgame. “We’re not playing good enough right now—too many ups and downs, starting slow in the second half for the last couple of weeks. We got to find solutions fast; we have another opportunity against the Jets. We all got to look in the mirror and be better.”
It will be interesting to see whether the trade speculation continues or if the Raiders can calm the situation down with a win over New York.
Bears, Raiders Floated in Realistic Maxx Crosby Trade Idea