Although frustrating at times, Las Vegas Raiders fans understand why Dallas Cowboys supporters are so obsessed with star defensive end Maxx Crosby. After messing up negotiations with Micah Parsons, they've tried to recreate him in the aggregate, and it remains to be seen how that will go.
Crosby would be a surefire solution for a Cowboys team with perennial Super Bowl hopes, but they missed the boat when they wouldn't pony up two first-round picks earlier this offseason. And even though Jerry Jones stirred the pot again at training camp, Crosby is a Raider until further notice.
That hasn't stopped the diehards of America's Team from putting on their tin foil hats again, though. Dallas restructured a few of its hefty deals, and all of a sudden, Cowboys fans think Crosby is getting pried from Las Vegas ahead of the 2026 NFL season. We shouldn't even entertain this, Raider Nation.
But I'll bite and break it down really quick.
Cowboys fans are delusional if they think Raiders trading Maxx Crosby is imminent
Let's do our best to see things from the perspective of a Dallas fan for just a minute.
ESPN's Todd Archer confirmed that the Cowboys reworked the deals of DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson and Kenny Clark to free up $19 million in salary cap space. Combined with the $14 million they had already, Dallas now has $33 million, which is coincidentally enough to accommodate Crosby's salary.
Obviously, fans' ears are going to perk up when they hear that an avenue suddenly exists to acquire a big-ticket player. And if nothing else, this provides some financial flexibility for Jones and Co. to make a move down the road if the Raiders re-engage in Crosby trade talks near the deadline.
Fans have taken things too far, though. Cowboys enthusiasts are all over social media, pointing out that Las Vegas signed edge rusher Azeez Ojulari to their practice squad and that Dallas defender Jonathan Bullard changed from No. 98 to No. 90 on the same evening the team cleared cap space.
I feel like I'm going crazy because I have to explain that, one, Ojulari being signed has nothing to do with Crosby's status, and two, Bullard changing his number has nothing to do with preparing for Crosby to arrive at Cowboys HQ. It's all nonsense.
Ojulari was added because the Raiders want to shore up their pass-rusher depth after losing rookie Keyron Crawford for the season to an Achilles injury. He was a clear upgrade over second-year UDFA Jahfari Harvey on the practice squad, so John Spytek made the move. Simple.
Also, it's not like Bullard has always been No. 98 or anything, and he's falling on the sword so that Crosby can get what he wants in Dallas. Bullard has spent 10 years in the NFL with six teams, the Cowboys being his seventh, and he's changed uniform numbers 10 times. So, he's doing it again.
Could Jerry Jones still be angling for a Crosby trade? Sure. He may also be preparing himself for any number of other trades because he's a wild card of a general manager and can't sit still for too long. And if anything were to happen in Las Vegas with Crosby, it'd be at the trade deadline anyway.
Ever since he was returned to the Raiders following an unofficial three-day stint with the Baltimore Ravens, the messaging has been quite clear: The front office is glad to have Crosby back, and the star defender doesn't seem too eager to leave and risk that level of embarrassment again.
So, Raider Nation, I suggest we give no credence to these tin-foil-hat-wearing Cowboys fans. Crosby will be in Las Vegas until something changes, and nothing is going to change ahead of the 2026 NFL season, no matter how much folks in Dallas let conspiracy theories run rampant.
Now that I've said my piece, I will not dignify this ploy any longer. I suggest you all do the same.
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