It has been over a month now since the Baltimore Ravens backed out of their deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to trade for defensive end Maxx Crosby. Since then, there hasn’t been much of an indication that Crosby will still get traded.
However, if the Raiders were willing to trade him once, they could be willing to do it again for the right price. Many of the trade ideas involving Crosby have centered around draft picks, but what if the team could get another star pass rusher in return?
The Los Angeles Rams are a team that is trying to win a Super Bowl right now, and could make a ton of sense for Crosby. California Post’s Vincent Bonsignore floated the idea of a possible deal centered around Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse.
“[The Rams] have players that they could give up … some pretty good ones at [Crosby’s] position, quite honestly. Jared Verse comes to mind. Somebody that is going to be due for a contract, plays the same [position]. There’s a lot of different ways that they could do that,” Bonsignore said on “The Morning Tailgate.”
“The Rams aren’t the Ravens. I’ll also put that out there right now. … If you’re the Raiders, you have to be listening. I’m telling you that right now. You have got to be listening because you’re where you are right now. This is where you are. You’re not knocking on the door for the Super Bowl. Everything is about the future.”
Team Still Have Interest in Crosby
The Ravens cited a failed physical when they decided not to trade for Crosby, which is basically the kiss of death for his trade value. That said, according to Bonsignore, there are still teams out there interested in trading for him.
“Everything is about Fernando Mendoza and the future and building this the right way,” Bonsignore said. “I’m not saying that they’re by any means shopping a Maxx Crosby at this point … but I know, I don’t even think, I know that there’s interest from other teams in him and somebody could make just as the Cincinnati Bengals did for Dexter Lawrence. Look, the Giants didn’t have to do anything … but somebody came up with an offer that they couldn’t refuse and that’s where I’m headed with that. And there’s definitely, without question, one thousand percent an offer that the Raiders would be interested in.”
Would Raiders Want Verse for Crosby?
A Verse-for-Crosby deal would be very interesting. Verse has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons and was the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s one of the most exciting young pass rushers in the NFL.
While Verse is very good, he’s not on the same level as Crosby right now. For the Raiders and the Rams, swapping the two can make sense. Los Angeles gets the better player right now, while the Raiders get a 25-year-old, ascending talent.
There aren’t many player-for-player trades in the NFL when it comes to big names, but this would certainly be a logical deal for both sides. The Rams get a proven superstar, while the Raiders get younger.
Raiders Could Swap Maxx Crosby for Emerging Star Pass Rusher: Insider