It’s that time in the offseason, but a recent trade proposal floated by ESPN, which featured Las Vegas Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and an AFC West rival, was quite absurd.
ESPN can run thought experiments, but this one mistakes offseason noise for logic, when common sense often disappears this time of year.
If Crosby is really available, the offer has to match his value, not the Chargers’ wish list. A second, a sixth and a future fifth are not enough for one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. Crosby is not just another starter. He is a cornerstone player who still forces offenses to change the game plan.
The Raiders would never trade Maxx Crosby within the AFC West, right?
The report correctly notes the Raiders’ cap flexibility, draft capital and the value of edge rushers. Those facts cut against the trade proposal, not for it. Las Vegas is not a cash-strapped team forced into a teardown. It has the resources to rebuild quickly around the No. 1 pick and keep its best defender in place. If the organization believes it can compete sooner than outsiders assume, trading Crosby to an AFC West rival for mid-round assets would be the kind of move that extends a rebuild rather than accelerates it.
The division angle is simple roster management. If the Raiders trade Crosby to the Chargers, they face him twice a year while developing a rookie QB behind a shaky line. That takes an overpay, not a discount.
Related: Raiders pair Maxx Crosby with some interior muscle in latest mock draft
The age-and-contract point feels a little cherry-picked. Yes, Crosby turns 29 before next season, but he is still in his prime and already under contract. This is not the Raiders trying to unload an expiring deal after a lost year. It would be Las Vegas helping a division rival upgrade its pass rush while taking back a package with no first-round pick and very little top-end value.
If ESPN wants to play out trade scenarios, that is fair. But this one should be labeled honestly. It is not real pressure on the Raiders. It is a Chargers-friendly offer presented like a balanced debate. For Las Vegas, the call is pretty simple: keep Crosby, build around him and make someone else solve its pass-rush problem.
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