The Raiders are in complete rebuilding mode, and that could mean finally dealing All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Albert Breer is reporting that the Raiders are ready to make a deal, in a classic case of “why bad teams stay bad,” Las Vegas waited far too long to shop him. This means the draft compensation they could land has precipitously fallen from potentially two first-round picks, akin to the deal the Cowboys got for Micah Parsons, to now looking at maybe a first and a mid-round pick as well.

It was a down year for Crosby in 2025, as the defensive end finished with 10.0 sacks and made the Pro Bowl, but the distinct lack of help around him meant that Crosby was being doubled on almost every down, and had to fight far too much to generate his production. It’s a testament to his ability that 10.0 sacks constitutes a “down year,” and with a solid defense around him there’s little doubting he won’t return to being one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

Let’s now take a look at the seven teams currently rumored to be looking at Crosby in a trade, and work out who makes the most sense in a deal.

The only knock you could make against Micah Parsons is that he wasn’t great against the run. In fact, this is essentially what Jerry Jones said when the Cowboys made the trade. While Maxx Crosby isn’t quite the game-breaking pass rusher, he is a more complete player because of his ability to seal the edge.

Crosby has all the traits Jones and the Cowboys are looking for in a pass rusher. The functional issue is that with George Pickens receiving the franchise tag they don’t have the cap space. It would take a huge number of restructuring deals to make this work — and the returns on adding Crosby to a middling team might not be worth it.

It’s go time for the Chicago Bears. Ben Johnson is turning this team around in a hurry, with the offense emerging as one of the best upcoming units in the NFL. Now it’s time to strike while the iron is hot, which makes a Maxx Crosby deal so fascinating.

Chicago is in a unique position where they could offer a 1st round pick, and potentially throw in DJ Moore to give the Raiders a decent receiver for Fernando Mendoza, without gutting the Bears’ draft capital in the process.

The Ravens are in a weird spot right now where they have a majority of their pass rushers all hitting free agency, needing a serious re-vamp at the position. Crosby fits the bill, and would be a huge boost — but again, where is the money coming from? It would take more restructuring to make it work — and perhaps most glaringly, it would mean ignoring the offensive side of the ball.

Baltimore is headed towards this place where they’re neither amazing on offense or defense. That’s not a sustainable plan. They really need to forge an identity under Jesse Minter, and spending every available resource on Crosby out of the gate is a Band-Aid I don’t love for them.

The Bills are fast approaching “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” territory, and their interest in Crosby is proof of that. Buffalo doesn’t have the room to get this deal done, like a lot of teams on the list — and while he’s incredible, the Bills are much further away from winning the AFC than just plugging in an elite defensive end.

Right now the Bills feel rudderless. GM Brandon Beane seemingly doesn’t know how to fix them, it’s unlikely that new head coach Joe Brady will magically have the formula that Sean McDermott didn’t. It feels like a move the Bills could make, yet one they absolutely shouldn’t. This team needs to get better through the draft before Josh Allen’s window closes.

Now here’s a place that just makes too much sense. The Patriots were already an elite team that made it to the Super Bowl, and they have the secondary set. They do need more help up front, and that’s absolutely fine when you have $36M in open effective cap space.

It would be extremely easy for the Pats to get Crosby, and potentially even swing a deal for WR A.J. Brown to reunite with Mike Vrabel and turn this team into a juggernaut that nobody in the NFL wants to see.

There’s some financial wiggle room here, and I understand the Eagles interest — especially if they clear A.J. Brown off the books. The issue is that defense wasn’t really the issue in 2025. Spending money on that side of the ball leads to diminishing returns when the $30+ million in cap space could be used to fix some of the problems on the offensive side of the ball.

If there’s a desire to turn Philly into even more of a defensive-first football team, okay. Still I not sure this makes a lot of sense based on where they’re at.

The Rams should absolutely make this deal, because their window is right now. The offense has no issues, but the secondary is a glaring problem for Los Angeles. You can either try to fix that problem with slowly building out multiple positions, or try to throw so much pass rush onto the team that it becomes impossible to deal with for an offense.

Crosby solves multiple problems as a pass rusher and run stopper. It’s a great fit, and he would be the ideal person to add to the culture of the Rams. This might be the best place for both Crosby and the organization, who would immediately put themselves back in the Super Bowl conversation with this move.