The Raiders haven’t been feeding into Maxx Crosby trade rumors this week at the Combine, but there is still reason to believe the All-Pro pass rusher can be acquired for the right price.
GM John Spytek confirmed on Tuesday that Crosby is part of the Raiders’ plan, but acknowledged that the team is always willing to listen to offers.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared last week what he believes the “right price” for Crosby would be from the Raiders’ perspective (two first-round picks along with a player), and Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer reported on what most around the league believe Crosby’s trade value would actually be.
“Probably a first rounder and something else,” Breer said on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“I don’t know if it would rise to a level of two first rounders because, when you talk about guys who’ve been moved at that position for that sort of price, we’re talking about, you know, that’s what Khalil Mack, like 24-25 years old. That was Micah Parsons last year. So I don’t think he cost you two first-round picks. I mean, maybe a first [round pick] and something else.”
The Las Vegas Review Journal’s Adam Hill talked this week about Crosby’s trade value, and he believes two first-round picks from a Super Bowl contending team might be realistic.
“That feels steep on the surface,” Hill said, “But any team trading for Crosby would most likely be a contender picking late in the first round with the expectation they would also be picking late in the first round next year. So those two first-round picks all of a sudden start to look a lot more reasonable for a team that could just be a Crosby away from a Super Bowl.”
As Schefter and others have pointed out, it could be a while before Crosby’s knee is able to pass a physical, so it could be another month or two before a trade involving Crosby could realistically happen.
Until then, the Raiders would be wise to continue downplaying any interest, or even willingness, they might have in trading Crosby.
How is the Crosby situation going to play out?
There has been a lot of speculation about what Crosby wants and where he wants to be, but it’s worth noting that he has passed on opportunities to say he wants to stay in Las Vegas.
Some believe Crosby is still making up his mind (and that might be accurate), but the detail that’s hard to overlook is the fact that two insiders who have a known relationship with Crosby continue to question his future with the Raiders – even after Spytek’s comments this week.
Jay Glazer has been Crosby’s go-to guy in the media for a while and it’s hard to imagine it was not a calculated move on his part to stir up trade rumors around Crosby prior to the Super Bowl.
“When Jay Glazer says at the Super Bowl that Maxx Crosby is done with the Raiders, that to me is as good as Maxx Crosby saying it,” NBC Sports host Mike Florio said Wednesday. “Glazer talks to the guy all the time. Glazer is careful as anyone. Glazer’s not going to say that Crosby is done with the Raiders if he’s not done with the Raiders.”
The other insider who has stated several times that he is a “friend” to Crosby going back to Maxx’s college career is Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter.
Carpenter hasn’t once downplayed the possibility of Crosby being traded. If anything, he has been leaning toward the likelihood of a trade happening.
“The feeling around the NFL is that Maxx is available and as long as that continues, I think the chances are better for him being traded,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“I think the Raiders should do anything and everything to keep Maxx… but as long as the mood in the NFL is that he’s available for the right price, I think the chances of him being traded [are better]. Because teams know how to shut down and make it clear there is no interest. The Raiders have made it very clear [that] they would listen to trades for the no. 1 pick, but it’s not available. NFL people believe Maxx will be available.”
Whatever Carpenter is hearing from league sources, it’s hard to imagine he would pass around bad information on Crosby given that he seems to have a connection to Crosby similar to what Glazer has.
Crosby hasn’t shut down trade rumors and the fact that insiders who seem to know him best have taken a similar approach could be a sign of Crosby’s mindset going into the offseason.
x: @raidersbeat
There is a right way, and a wrong way for organizations to do things. The wrong way is to consider sports writers opinions. The consensus is never a good barometer when making life-changing decisions. The ones who know everything should buy and run their own team.
I don’t want him traded, but if so, NOT to the Niners 1st and foremost, secondarily not to the Pats.