The Las Vegas Raiders are back at square one when it comes to the Maxx Crosby saga. Well, actually, they may be in an even worse position, as they have much less leverage after the Baltimore Ravens backed out of a deal to acquire the superstar pass rusher for two first-round picks.
While the five-time Pro Bowler remains one of the league's premier pass rushers, his failed physical in Baltimore could impact the Raiders' potential return on another trade. Of course, there is plenty of speculation that the Ravens' getting cold feet had little to do with his well-documented knee injury, and more to do with the fact that they were able to retain their draft picks and sign Trey Hendrickson.
As things stand, Las Vegas seems prepared to keep Crosby; however, as we all know, that can change at any moment. Dan Orlovsky named four teams that he believes should be attempting to acquire the Raiders' star, one of whom the franchise would likely never collaborate on such a massive trade with.
Dan Orlovsky lists potential trade partners for Raiders star Maxx Crosby
Las Vegas certainly does not have to trade Crosby, as they have the cap space to retain him, and he is already back in the facility. John Spytek has also shown that he is willing to hold out until he receives a deal that he deems fair value.
ESPN's Orlovsky appeared on First Take on Wednesday, listing four potential suitors for Crosby in the aftermath of all this chaos.
"If I'm Buffalo, who just restructured Josh (Allen)'s salary to get under the cap, I'm having that conversation. If I'm the Los Angeles Rams, I'm calling the Raiders. I think there's obviously a lot of teams that should be in that conversation, but I am looking at teams that truthfully -- if I'm Kansas City, who has two first-round picks and they just restructured, I believe, Patrick (Mahomes) to get under the salary cap situation, I'm making that conversation, as well," Orvlosky sais. "So, if I'm those annual Super Bowl contenders and you think that you can get him at a lesser value than he was a couple days ago, absolutely. Philly, Buffalo, the Rams, Kansas City all should be making those calls."
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Orlovsky mentioned four teams, two of which were previously linked to a potential Crosby pursuit. Of course, the Kansas City Chiefs can immediately be eliminated from that list of potential partners, as there is no way Mark Davis would sign off on trading the two-time All-Pro to a divisional rival.
The Raiders' majority owner famously refused to sign off on sending Khalil Mack to the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 due to the Bay Area rivalry between the two teams. It should also be noted that none of the teams mentioned have the cap space to absorb Crosby's contract, but that could easily change.
The more concerning part is that Orlovsky seems to think the Raiders will give Crosby away at a reduced price. Spytek has already proven that just won't be the case over the past few months, even if this situation is a bit different.
If Spytek doesn't find the deal he wants, which is seemingly two first-round picks, it appears likely that Crosby will be back in the Silver and Black. The fact that so many teams could remain involved in a potential pursuit of the Raiders' superstar, however, should bode well, as it will put some leverage back in Spytek's corner.