Ranking Maxx Crosby trade suitors as cryptic post reignites buzz of a move

Bullet point summary by AI

• Maxx Crosby’s recent cryptic social media post sparked intense NFL trade rumors, linking the star Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher to multiple suitors.
• Five teams are ranked as potential landing spots, with the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears emerging as the most logical trade partners.
• A deal would instantly transform a contender’s defense before the season begins, while signaling a major shift in the Raiders’ rebuilding strategy.

The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t indicated they want to try moving star pass rusher Maxx Crosby again, but that doesn’t mean the five-time Pro Bowler is content staying. Crosby posted yet another cryptic message on X Thursday, potentially signaling his displeasure with the organization.

“STOP PEOPLE PLEASING. HANDLE BUSINESS ACCORDINGLY,” he wrote emphatically.

Granted, this could very well be—and likely is—a motivational saying Crosby is putting out there, something he lives by perchance. But that’s not going to stop trade speculation, especially as the NFL preseason inches ever closer.

There are plenty of teams still with defensive needs or assets that need offloading that could spark a deal with Las Vegas. Let’s take a look at some of those suitors in order of least likely to strike an agreement to most likely.

5. New York Giants

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh’s defense is stacked enough as it is. Both he and general manager Joe Schoen claimed as early as April there wouldn’t be any moves made to ship a star defender off to another team. That bluff was called when it was revealed during the 2026 NFL Draft that the team tried to send pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux to the New Orleans Saints. Could Las Vegas be an ideal trading partner for two teams looking to get value for expiring assets?

A pure swap involving Thibodeaux and Crosby isn’t happening. New York would need to toss in some 2027 draft capital to make it happen, but at least Schoen wouldn’t have to cough up a first-rounder after the Baltimore Ravens tainted Crosby’s market with their failed deal in March. A deal here would make sense, but the chances of negotiations even starting are probably lower than the trade going through.

4. Washington Commanders

Signing Odafe Oweh and drafting Sonny Styles are probably the strongest indicators the Washington Commanders may be done making defensive moves. However, they still have a slight soft spot in the trenches that someone like Crosby would immediately shore up. Pairing him with guys like Oweh and Styles would make Washington an elite pass-rushing unit.

The Commanders have over $43 million in salary cap space remaining, so there isn’t fear of financial constraint to facilitate Crosby to D.C. However, the team doesn’t have a current asset it would realistically be willing to part with to ease the draft capital cost. Limiting a deal to just picks would probably force Washington to part with its first-rounder next year and much more. That’s where the likelihood of a deal materializing diminishes.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

If the Philadelphia Eagles want to three-peat as NFC East champions, the team has to keep up with the defensive arms race the rest of the division has accelerated. The Giants are stacked and just lack execution, the Commanders are arguably stronger than their NFC Championship squad, and the Dallas Cowboys are scooping up pass rushers to fill the Micah Parsons-sized hole on their defensive line.

Bringing in Crosby to pair with Jalen Carter and Jonathan Greenard catapults Philadelphia back to Super Bowl contender status. Carter remains unsigned to an extension, and if negotiations were to sour, he would be a prime asset to send to Las Vegas to acquire Crosby. That would save general manager Howie Roseman from having to part with precious draft capital. It’s going to come down to interest and desperation (in the case of Carter potentially not returning), which makes the likelihood of this deal a real toss-up (though his X post did include an eagle emoji).

2. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears defense feels like it’s just one piece away from being unstoppable. Last year’s surge with quarterback Caleb Williams at the helm was proof the team is finally on the other side of their rebuild and the team can stay there with an elite defense. Pairing Crosby with Montez Sweat and Devin Bush would have opposing offensive lines quaking. It would be shocking to learn Chicago’s front office is not monitoring the 28-year-old’s situation in Sin City.

If the Bears are going to go all in on Williams’ window now, mortgaging a first-round pick may be worth the investment. The team managed just 35 sacks last season, and adding Crosby would immediately increase that total substantially. This is a “win now” franchise, and failing to jump on a franchise-altering asset like Crosby would be blatantly passing on a championship opportunity. The Bears will be in the conversation when the trade deadline approaches.

1. San Francisco 49ers

Despite myriad injuries last year, the San Francisco 49ers still managed to win a lot of games and compete in the playoffs. It likely won’t be as fortunate this year should that happen again. The defense is where the 49ers should be bulking back up, and Crosby would fill a significant pass-rushing hole. Plus a deal with Las Vegas may be the best middle finger to a troublesome asset San Francisco has been dying to get return value for.

If the 49ers manage to tempt the Raiders into swapping Crosby in a deal that involves wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, it could be a hilarious ending to an entertaining (and at times cringe-worthy) saga. San Francisco would probably still have to part with a first-rounder, but there’s a possibility general manager John Lynch could persuade Las Vegas into taking a pair of conditional second-rounders in future years. Those would upgrade should the 49ers go a certain distance in the playoffs and/or Crosby plays a majority of snaps. Keeping Crosby on the west coast may also be a likelier move than him going east.

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