We know the Cowboys didn't walk away from the deal, but what would it look like now, and would Pickens need to be included?
Ever since Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated this week in Oxnard that the franchise didn't "walk away'' from the Maxx Crosby deal and that he spoke to a team owner about a move for someone, everyone in Cowboys Nation is on alert.
We know the Cowboys thrice tried to get Crosby to The Star earlier in the offseason, but were rebuffed thrice.
Well, what if they went back a fourth time?
We have heard many proposals, some of which centered on using Pro Bowler George Pickens as a fantastic sweetener in a deal for Crosby.
For most, including me, I'm not robbing Peter (the offense) to pay Paul (the defense).
But what if the Cowboys could get Crosby without using Pickens as a piece?
For 105.3 The Fan's Bryan Broaddus, who said he has been speaking with people around the league on what a potential deal might look like, their feeling is that George might not have to be used at all in a Crosby deal.
“What I'm also learning about this, that the initial people are projecting what this could be, and what people are talking about is with Pickens and a third-round pick in 2027 or a first-round pick in 2027 and a third-round pick in 2028," Broaddus said.
“That's where people are kind of projecting. So, it's not the one [first-round draft pick] unless there's no player involved. You're going to have to give the one. If a player is involved, you're probably not going to have to give the one, but like I say, the three and then a player, which could very well be George Pickens.”
So would the Cowboys give up a 2027 first-round pick and a third-round pick in 2028 for Crosby? Our Mike Fisher has pushed for these to be "conditional picks'' due to Maxx' knee issues, but ...
I think the Cowboys would do this deal. No Pickens; just picks.
Jerry made it clear that he isn't going to wait until next year or the year after to make a move to get to a Super Bowl.
So, it feels like if there ever was a time to get a blockbuster deal done, it's now.
A first and a third to land Crosby, one of the better pass rushers in football, to pair with Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and Kenny Clark, would transform Christian Parker's defense.
Pass rush is still a big question mark for Dallas. But you add Crosby? That question gets answered.
We know Maxx has already participated in training camp for the Raiders, having been seen doing warm-up drills roughly seven months of recovery, so he won't be too much of an uphill curve to begin to help if Dallas made a move.
The knee doesn't look like an issue at all.
And if putting Pickens into a deal for Crosby was also seen as an issue, well, according to people Broaddus spoke with, that might not be an issue, either.
