In the wake of Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffering a broken tibia in Week 6, one of the most popular names mentioned as a possible replacement for him has been Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.
If there's one player out there who can fill the massive shoes Hutchinson is leaving behind, it's the Raiders star, who is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.
You already know Crosby's resume: he's a three-time Pro Bowler and has notched a whopping 27 sacks the past two seasons, including a career-best 14.5 in 2023. He's also tallied 5.5 through five games this season.
But would the Raiders really trade Crosby?
On the surface, it makes sense considering the Raiders are a dumpster fire right now. Las Vegas wasn't close to competitive on Sunday and has now lost three of four and sits at 2-4 going nowhere.
Crosby has a connection to the state, also, after he attended college at Eastern Michigan, and the Lions have the future draft capital to get a trade done, along with the salary cap space to fit him in.
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Raiders general manager Tom Telesco should blow it up and sell anything that isn't nailed down at the trade deadline to start a rebuild, and you would assume Crosby could be on that list because he's the best asset they have by a country mile.
However, don't hold your breath for Crosby to get traded. He has been adamant that he wants to be a Raider for life, and Telesco would completely lose the fan base if he traded his best player.
“The guys who inspire me are the Kobes [Bryant] and the [Michael] Jordans; the guys that stayed at the same place and won in the same place,” Crosby said on The Jim Rome Show back in June. “No offense to the guys like LeBron [James] and those dudes. I won’t give them some heat, but they took the easier road traveled and that’s not the way I look at it.
“Going through the ups and downs and the hardships is going to make it that much sweeter when I do win a Super Bowl. So, I plan on being here for a very long time and I plan on winning here. You know when I signed that contract, I didn’t have any type of you know thought of leaving or idea of leaving. I feel like I’m going to be a Raider for life.”
Could things have changed between June, when the Raiders had some hope before reality was able to set in after the season started, and now, when the Raiders have zero hope to do anything significant?
It's possible, but Crosby has only reiterated his desire to remain with the Raiders, even after the Davante Adams trade request, and with everything else crumbling around him.
"Come on bro, you know where I want to be," Crosby said. "You think I want to be anywhere else? No. I got this s--- tatted on my body. I don't want to go anywhere."
Crosby has the respect of the franchise to the point that if he doesn't want to be traded, the team would abide by his wishes. But if he does asked to be traded, the Raiders would oblige and likely do whatever they could to send him where he wants to go.
If the latter scenario unfolds, the Lions would likely be at or near the top of his list and Detroit should absolutely be all in on him. However, based on what he has said in the past, we wouldn't bet on Crosby wanting out of Las Vegas.
