The Los Angeles Rams raised the stakes in the NFC West. Now the Seattle Seahawks have a chance to respond by pursuing Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.
The Baltimore Ravens’ about-face on Maxx Crosby this offseason was, on its face, a medical decision. In practice, it was a market signal. When a team walks away from a two-first-round-pick agreement over concerns about a surgically repaired knee, the rest of the league takes notice, and prices adjust accordingly.
That adjustment is exactly why the Seahawks should be paying attention now.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider has never been shy about aggressive roster moves, in season or otherwise. He proved as much when he pried Jadeveon Clowney away from Houston days before a season opener, then did it again last year with the midseason trade for receiver Rashid Shaheed. Crosby, one of the NFL’s more disruptive edge rushers, fits the profile of a player Schneider would at least explore.
The case for caution is real…
Seattle already has one of the league’s most productive pass rushes, built on depth rather than a singular star. The team won a Super Bowl without a premier edge presence, generating pressure by committee. That approach worked. But Boye Mafe’s departure to Cincinnati subtracted a player who excelled against both the run and the quarterback, and his replacement, veteran Dante Fowler Jr., is a narrower, more situational pass rusher. The group is still good, but not as versatile.
The case for action is just as real. The Rams’ acquisition of Myles Garrett changes the math in the NFC West immediately. Facing Garrett twice a year raises the value of any move that widens Seattle’s own margin at the position.
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A possible package for Maxx Crosby…
The price, meanwhile, has come down. Baltimore’s reported two-first-round offer no longer sets the market. A single first-round pick, paired with safety Julian Love, looks like a more realistic package, one Las Vegas, still rebuilding and thin at safety, would likely consider. Love, 28, has played at a Pro Bowl level when healthy, though durability concerns of his own limited him to eight games last season. Second-round rookie Bud Clark offers a plausible long-term answer at that spot, which softens the loss.
None of this happens in a vacuum. The Raiders’ recent hires of former Seattle personnel, including new head coach Klint Kubiak, suggest a relationship that could smooth negotiations rather than complicate them.
Crosby says his knee is ahead of schedule. If training camp bears that out, his price will climb again, and any window Seattle has may close well before the trade deadline. The Seahawks don’t need Crosby to be great this season. But if the opportunity is real, and the cost is genuinely lower than it was in the spring, this is exactly the kind of calculated risk Schneider has shown he’s willing to take.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustrations/Getty Images