Interest In Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Could Push Asking Price To Two Firsts

Indianapolis — The NFL Scouting Combine has long doubled as the league’s most active back-room marketplace, and this year the name on every general manager’s lips is Maxx Crosby. According to a report from the California Post’s Vincent Bonsignore, the Las Vegas Raiders are bracing for offers that could reach two first-round picks for the 28-year-old edge rusher, a price tag driven by the volume of suitors expected to court the Raiders over the coming days.

Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro, has spent seven seasons with the Raiders franchise, registering 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, and 164 quarterback hits. While he has yet to collect the individual hardware of contemporaries such as Khalil Mack or Micah Parsons, league evaluators view his production as commensurate with the elite tier of pass-rushers who have recently commanded blockbuster returns. Mack was dealt from Chicago to Las Vegas in 2018 for two first-round selections; last offseason, Green Bay extracted the same premium for Parsons, along with veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

Age is the lone statistical separator. Crosby is two years older now than both Mack and Parsons were at the time of their trades, yet front-office sources believe competitive bidding could neutralize that concern. “Elite pass rushers are a commodity,” one AFC personnel executive said here in Indianapolis. “If the market is robust, age becomes a secondary variable.”

The Raiders, for their part, have not committed to moving their defensive cornerstone. The recent promotion of Crosby’s position coach to defensive coordinator is widely interpreted as an olive branch designed to convince the star to stay. Still, after cycling through multiple head coaches and general managers during his tenure, Crosby could decide his window for team success lies elsewhere. An earlier report by the California Post’s Noah Nussbaum noted that while Crosby “bleeds silver and black,” he may also be eager to maximize his remaining prime years with a contender.

Financial flexibility and draft capital will dictate which franchises can legitimately enter the sweepstakes. Teams holding only a standard allotment of 2025 and 2026 first-rounders would need to part with both to satisfy Las Vegas, while clubs that have stockpiled Day 2 selections could attempt to package a single first-rounder with multiple second- or third-round picks. With general managers already conducting informal negotiations in hotel lobbies and suite meetings, the outline of a deal could crystallize before prospects take the field for on-field workouts.

Whether the Raiders ultimately field an offer they cannot refuse—or whether Crosby forces the issue by requesting a trade—remains speculative. What is certain is that the conversation starts, and perhaps ends, with the valuation of a game-wrecking edge rusher who has proved both durable and productive. As one NFC scouting director summarized, “If you want a difference-maker, you pay the difference-maker price.” The combine stage is set, and the bidding war for Maxx Crosby may have already begun.