“I don’t plan on doing anything here to stir things up.”
That was Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones during his pre-training camp press conference, no more than five minutes before he started, you guessed it, stirring things up. And of course, the Las Vegas Raiders got caught in the crossfire of it.
Dallas was a known suitor for Maxx Crosby's services early in the offseason when the Silver and Black were looking for the best trade partner. According to reports, the Cowboys offered as much as a first and second-round pick, plus defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, for Crosby. Las Vegas declined.
And after the Raiders' superstar was sent to the Baltimore Ravens, then sent back, at least in part because the Cowboys' team doctor gave credence to the Ravens' medical staff's worries about Crosby's knee, Jones made it clear that a similar fate would have awaited Crosby in Dallas.
But just as fans knew at the time, Jones was full of it.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones admits he hasn't stopped calling Raiders about Maxx Crosby
Jones also stated later in that same press conference that he would mortgage the future to help the Cowboys this year. After that, he was pestered with questions by NFL Network's Jane Slater about why Dallas backed out of talks with the Raiders about a Crosby trade.
Then, Jones did what Jones does.
"We didn't [walk away]," Jones said. There's nothing more to elaborate on."
This is a major change of tune from what Jones said just a few months ago, when he insinuated that the Cowboys, too, would have gone back on the Crosby trade had he failed his physical. Now, it's as if Crosby is the apple of his eye again, and he has no problem admitting that.
As Raider Nation knows, John Spytek will listen to any call that comes his way about any topic. And it sounds like Jones has at least still been calling Las Vegas about a potential Crosby deal late in the offseason. He even said that he spoke to an NFL general manager on Monday.
Could that have been Spytek?
Obviously, this doesn't mean that Crosby is getting traded. Jones even acknowledged that Crosby is a Raider, a happy one at that, and he quickly shut his mouth before violating the NFL's tampering policies. Jones knew how to churn things up and toe the line without getting in trouble.
Is it nice, in a way, to know that there are still Crosby suitors out there? Of course. If things go sideways during the 2026 NFL season for the Silver and Black, having a known "out" of sorts is a good thing. And Jones pays top dollar when it comes to acquiring talent, especially mid-season.
However, this is also just Jerry Jones being Jerry Jones. If he's not being talked about, he deems that a failure. And what is most likely is that he took this opportunity to put himself in headlines, and the Raiders were merely the ill-fated pick.
It's all absurd.
Add us as a preferred source on Google