It’s no secret that Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby is a top trade goal for a lot of teams across the NFL, but several aspects have the potential to affect if Crosby leaves, where he may find yourself, and just how much the Raiders might receive in the event that they decide to trade him. Based on Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the sheer amount of interest in Crosby indicates a return of two first-round picks may be very much on the table.
We’ve discussed something along these lines prior to now. The 28-year-old two-time second-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler has established himself amongst the most effective edge rushers within the NFL. His seven-year profession with the Raiders — six years in Las Vegas after a rookie campaign in Oakland — has amassed 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, and 164 quarterback hits. Though his awards haven’t stacked up quite as high as a few of his colleagues’, his production as an acquirable asset is fully on par with past edge rushers who were traded like Khalil Mack and Micah Parsons.
To be fair, each Mack and Parsons were two years younger after they were traded — Mack in 2018, Parsons last yr. When Mack was traded from the Bears to Oakland, the Raiders sent Chicago two first-round picks in return. Last yr, Green Bay’s return for Parsons included two first-rounders along with veteran defensive tackle (and former first-round pick) Kenny Clark. Elite pass rushers are a commodity within the NFL. Though Crosby is 2 years older than each former examples, he’s still an elite pass rusher within the NFL, and if he isn’t price two first-round picks on his own merit, team competition to amass him is anticipated to drive his price as much as that.
An element outside of his performance metrics that would influence what we hear coming out of the mix on Crosby is the unknown determination of whether or not he desires to be traded. The Raiders would almost definitely love to carry onto him. The promotion of Crosby’s position coach to defensive coordinator could easily have been done with hopes that Crosby may be more willing to stay around if his essential coach weren’t only retained on the brand new staff but promoted on it. Alternatively, Las Vegas might even see enough value in what a trade offer could bring to their ability to speed up the rebuild process.
There’s belief that Crosby may even wish to stick around himself. Per an earlier report from Bonsignore’s colleague Noah Nussbaum, Crosby bleeds silver and black and should even be excited for the subsequent steps of the Raiders’ rebuild. Alternatively, Crosby has already committed a few of his best years to failed rebuild attempts because the franchise has cycled through head coaches and general managers through the years. He may resolve that he’s waited long enough, that his patience has run out, and that it’s time for him to maximise his potential for achievement, each personal and team.
One other determining factor may very well be which teams opt to pursue Crosby. As we approach this week’s NFL Scouting Mix, coaching and personnel leaders within the NFL are set to convene in Indianapolis to look at and interview top collegiate athletes gathered from across the country.
The casual environment will allow for general managers to have off-the-record conversations through which they’ll gauge interest in tradeable players and start negotiations on what price tags might appear like. Teams with a typical or limited draft pick arsenal will almost definitely have to pair up the first-round picks from two separate years. A team that has collected a bigger arsenal of picks, though, may have the opportunity to avoid two firsts by grouping several Day 2 picks with a first-rounder.
There are such a lot of directions by which this conversation could go. It’s all speculation in the meanwhile, but as team representatives from across the NFL gather in Lucas Oil Stadium this week, we could discover a little bit of clarity as ideas begin to flow into across the mix.