The Las Vegas Raiders have had a bit of a whirlwind of an offseason. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby asked for a trade, which led to the team fielding offers.
Eventually, the Baltimore Ravens offered up two first-round picks. That was enough for the Raiders to accept, but the Ravens decided to back out at the last minute.
There were plenty of other teams that were in on Crosby, but it doesn’t sound like anybody was offering what the Ravens were offering. There were some rumors that the Chicago Bears were willing to give up two first-round picks, but that wasn’t actually the case, according to Dan Wiederer of The Athletic.
“All the while, Poles was busy monitoring the Maxx Crosby situation and assessing risk tolerance in a saga that ultimately shook the league when a blockbuster trade between the Raiders and Ravens was rescinded by Baltimore because of concerns about the results of Crosby’s physical,” Wiederer wrote.
“While the Bears were linked to that Crosby storyline for weeks, with speculation swirling that they, too, had offered Las Vegas a pair of first-round picks, that wasn’t the case, a league source told The Athletic. Serious discussions were needed about Crosby’s age (28); the weight of his contract (salary-cap hits north of $35 million and $38 million over the next two seasons, respectively); and his health status (including meniscus repair surgery in January). And Poles has always prided himself on the guardrails he establishes for such situations.”
Could Crosby Trade Talks Heat Back Up?
Crosby has seemingly rescinded his trade request, so there’s no pressure to get a deal done. It remains to be seen if the Raiders still want to trade him.
The team is in a rebuild, so getting high-value draft picks for an aging pass rusher has to still be somewhat appealing. The problem is that the Raiders aren’t going to get two first-round picks for him now. Anything less would have to feel like a loss.
At this juncture, it’s difficult to see Crosby getting traded. Perhaps if the season goes awry, he could be dealt at the deadline, but an offseason trade is unlikely.
John Spytek Doesn’t Want to Trade Crosby
Though the Raiders are rebuilding, they weren’t super keen on trading Crosby to begin with. If he didn’t request a trade, it’s likely the team wouldn’t have entertained offers.
Now that Crosby is back and is no longer pushing for a trade, general manager John Spytek believes he has a strong relationship with the defensive end.
“My relationship with Maxx since I’ve gotten here has been great,” Spytek said, via Raiders.com. “We had a lot of conversations throughout the season, at the end of the season obviously, through the offseason and obviously we were presented with a difficult decision to make. Things have a way of going a certain way and working out the way they’re supposed to. We welcomed him like he never left, because he really never did.”
Luckily for the Raiders, the relationship with Crosby was salvageable, so it seems like both sides are on good terms. Now, it’ll be interesting to see what happens if the Raiders struggle at the beginning of the season.
Telling Details Leak About Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Trade