Las Vegas Raiders fans remember exactly where they were and how they felt when Maxx Crosby was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. They also remember the moment and the accompanying feeling of him being sent back to Las Vegas. Nobody is eager to re-live either, but particularly the latter.
And all signs point to the fences being fully mended at Raiders HQ. Crosby is at OTA practices, stretching with the team and leading from the side as he recovers from his knee injury. The messaging on him has been consistent and quite positive since the blockbuster trade that never was.
But the Myles Garrett bombshell that dropped on Monday, in which the all-world defensive end was shipped from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams, has changed the landscape, and the Silver and Black's leadership can't turn a blind eye to how it could potentially affect them.
Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby may be back in trade conversations after Myles Garrett blockbuster
Cleveland landed a monstrous package for Garrett, which included a rising star edge rusher in Jared Verse, a 2027 first-rounder, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder. The Rams are unabashedly going all-in again to win another Super Bowl in their current window.
Las Vegas isn't going to get that kind of return, or likely anything that close, for Crosby, in a potential trade. But what this deal has done is completely tipped Los Angeles' plans, and other teams in the NFC, particularly the NFC West, may want to counter with a move of their own.
Trading for Crosby would certainly be that splash move and a way to, at least in part, catch up to the Rams after they upgraded from Verse to Garrett. And a sense of desperation could be very present in a few NFC front offices right now that wasn't there before the blockbuster Garrett trade.
It's not as if anything is imminent for the Raiders. Without Crosby having returned to practice, that whole "pass the physical" nonsense will be ever-present. But closer to the season, and certainly at the trade deadline, Crosby's future will be called into question.
If the Rams are dominating the NFC West and either the Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers want to play catch-up, they may be willing to pay a premium for a player of Crosby's caliber, especially when he shows through his play that the Ravens' injury concerns were exaggerated, if not fabricated.
Again, Crosby isn't quite the level of player that Garrett is, but he's younger. And Crosby may be the only edge rusher in the NFL who can hold a candle to Garrett's dual-threat ability as a pass-rusher and a run-stopper. That combination of elite skill is rare at the position anymore.
Crosby trade rumors won't ever truly go away, at least not until the Raiders become a contender. And that is unlikely to happen this year. So, the trade deadline was the next logical point for the rumor mill to start turning again, but the Garrett trade has brought up the conversation even sooner.
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