Since the week of the Super Bowl, Maxx Crosby has largely dominated NFL headlines and it’s no secret that at some point since the last two weeks of the season, Crosby made it known to NFL media personalities that he is the most willing he has ever been to part ways with the Raiders.
Earlier in February, Crosby told ESPN’s Colin Cowherd that “random people” have been making “big statements” about him, but Crosby stopped short of addressing Glazer’s report that he wants to be traded.
This week, NBC Sports host Mike Florio said he has been told the Raiders are looking for two first-round picks and a player in exchange for Crosby, and his report essentially confirms the All-Pro pass rusher is available for the right price.
Another league insider that’s been monitoring the Crosby rumors for the last month is The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and along with co-host James Palmer, she shared the latest on Crosby from the NFL Combine.
Via the Scoop City podcast…
Russini doesn’t think anything has changed between Crosby and the Raiders since the end of the season
“The sense I’m getting on Maxx Crosby right now is I don’t think anything has changed in terms of I know John Spytek, the general manager, said that he foresees Maxx Crosby being on the roster. I think he has to see that. I think he should see that.”
“Until Maxx comes out publicly and says, I’m a Raider forever, which we’ve seen him do. Just knowing how that ended this season, and how disappointed, frustrated, and angry he appeared. Unless he’s really taken a lot of time away and recoup in here, and maybe cooler heads prevail. I don’t know. Maxx Crosby comes to me, he’s the type of person if he’s going to make a decision, I bet you he sticks with it.”
Russini believes the Raiders could get a Micah Parsons-like trade for Crosby
“I think when you look around the league at teams that would be interested in him, are they going to be able to afford him, right? Because it’s going to be a Micah Parsons-like trade package, I believe.
I think it’s going to be close to that.”
Palmer thinks Spytek showed his hand a little on Crosby’s actual status with the team
“I had a chance to sit down with John Spytek yesterday. It was after he had spoken on the podium, and he had said everything. I said, ‘So you are very clear that you would like to bring Maxx Crosby back and have him there.’ He said, ‘Yeah, we’re in the business of keeping lead players. He’s a lead player.'”
“I go, ‘Has Maxx said to you he wants to come back?’ [He said], ‘Well, we’re going to keep some of the stuff in house, and we’re not going to talk about this at length.'”
“I do think that’s a little bit telling, because I do think we’re not completely out of it.”
Palmer thinks Crosby is worth as much as Parsons, believes the Cowboys will be interested
“I can see the comps to it. Micah is a little younger, but I would say that Maxx checks every single box, no slight to Micah, but in some of those other intangibles, Maxx checks further than Micah, right? So maybe it is kind of a very similar comp.”
“I ran into some people and they said, I would rule out the Cowboys. It just it was an interesting thing mentioned to me by somebody that I trust pretty well.”
What happens next?
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero said this week that a deal could potentially happen in the next 7 to 10 days, but a deal coming together that quickly seems unlikely considering Crosby underwent a significant knee surgery in January.
It has been rumored that the Raiders will be meeting with Crosby’s representatives in Indianapolis this week, but the timeframe for a decision on Crosby could be weeks or even months.
Regarding Crosby’s agents meeting with the Raiders, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter made an interesting statement this week that might be something to keep in mind.
“The mood around the entire NFL is [that] Maxx is available,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast on Wednesday.
“Of course, the Raiders are going to say [they] expect him back… he’s a great player. I expect John Spytek to say [he’ll be back]. I think John Spytek does want him back. I expect Klint Kubiak to say that. I don’t think the issues are with Klint. I don’t even really think they are with [Spytek] if you want me to be blunt with you, [but] I’m not going to get into any more details.”
“If I am the Raiders, I am doing everything possible to fix this. This is Hondo Carpenter’s opinion. There’s only two people who can fix this. Maxx Crosby and Tom Brady. I don’t think an agent can fix it. I don’t think Mark Davis can. Mark and Maxx are great. That’s what I think.”
x: @raidersbeat
Fix! What exactly Maxx having a tantrum because the ppl paying him his insane salary sat his *** dwn to protect him from himself? Its a business! Period If the Raiders can get Micha capital for Maxx get rid of him, im sick of hearing about him he’s forgotten who believed in him and paid him LET MAXX KICK ROCKS! Bye Felicia 👋🏿