The Raiders haven’t slammed the door shut on the idea of trading Maxx Crosby, but even after the botched Baltimore deal, they haven’t been willing to let go of their best player at a discount.
It was no secret that the Ravens and Cowboys were interested in trading for Crosby in March, but according to league insider Tony Pauline, the Bengals were another team trying to pry Crosby away from the Raiders.
“Sources tell me that long before the Cincinnati Bengals surrendered the 10th pick of the draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the team discussed trading that selection to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby,” Pauline reported on Wednesday.
“But the Bengals were unwilling to match the pair of first-round picks the Baltimore Ravens initially sent to Vegas for Crosby before a failed physical nixed the deal.”
Based on the wording of Pauline’s report, it sounds like the Bengals were willing to give up the no. 10 pick for Crosby, but the Raiders weren’t willing to take the deal that the Giants did for Lawrence.
Most of the messaging around Crosby’s status is that he isn’t going to be traded before start of the season, but the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore made an interesting series of statements on Monday that would suggest teams haven’t walked away from the negotiating table for the Raiders’ star pass rusher.
“[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 Raider Nation Radio’s 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,” Bonsignore continued.
“Everything is about Fernando Mendoza and the future and building this the right way. 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.”
If a trade for Crosby does happen at some point, it probably isn’t going to play out anything like the deal that fell apart with the Ravens.
Expect the Raiders to be “all in” on Crosby until they suddenly aren’t and a deal is announced.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers chimed in on the Crosby conversation last week and said he doesn’t expect Crosby to be traded but does believe Crosby’s trade value is going to spike again in about six months.
“Two things can be true. First of all, [teams] will try to low ball the Raiders [for Maxx Crosby], but I think that John Spytek has already proven that he’s going to stand his ground and say, ‘Look, if you want my best player, you’re going to have to pay a king’s ransom for him,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“I also think that deadlines push deals. I think the trade deadline will increase his value because the team will get desperate [and say] ‘We need 98.’ They’ll be late [first round] picks and a team might do that. A team might offer that. I think that that’s what’s going to happen,” Myers continued.
“I still honestly don’t believe he’s going to get traded, but I know those conversations will definitely happen leading up to the trade deadline. Especially if a team like Dallas is successful. A team like Buffalo feels like they’re really close. Teams like that. It won’t be some scrub team. It’ll be like the Bears all of a sudden are having a really good year… That’s how I envision this thing playing out. Some team that feels like that they’re that one edge away from being over the top. And that’s the one that’s going to go try to make a move right before the trade deadline.”
x: @raidersbeat