Eagles pursuit of Maxx Crosby with Jalen Carter is a risky gamble. This trade could actually benefit Dallas.
FRISCO - To many Dallas Cowboys fans who want "America's Team'' to seal the deal in a trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby, it's a double-whammy scary thought ...What happens if not only does Dallas miss out on Maxx ... but also that the winner of the Crosby Sweepstakes are the hated Philadelphia Eagles?
Scared? Based on the way this rumor is presently being presented? Don't be.
RickeyScoops (who has a fine track record in these matters) is suggesting that the winning deal might be Philly's Jalen Carter for Crosby.
And if that's it? Straight up?
That's an overpay. The Eagles lose that trade.
Whoever lands Crosby - and obviously Vegas is done playing the game of pretending they can keep him happy - is going to get a spectacular and dynamic player.
And if the Cowboys have their druthers? DFW guy Crosby comes "home'' (he attended high school here and remains fond of the area and fixes the NFL's worst defense ....
While being paid $35 million this year, with salaries that de-escalate in the future.
Writes RickeyScoops on Twitter: “Hearing that the Eagles have made Jalen Carter available in their pursuit for Raiders Maxx Crosby.”
One more time: If that's it?
*Philly loses the trade.
*Dallas moves to the next pass-rusher (the Bengals' free agent Trey Hendrickson and others) and strengthens its roster that way.
*The Eagles roster is weakened - a sidebar Dallas win.
Immediately upon entering the league in 2023 as a first-round pick burdened by behavioral baggage, Carter became a game-wrecker.
Carter was the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft - he might've been ranked No. 1 overall without the Georgia baggage - and has spent three seasons establishing himself as a stud.
In that span, he has recorded 108 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He has made back-to-back Pro Bowls and he owns a Super Bowl ring. He is 25 years old. ... and in 2026 he'll count a piddling $6.9 million against the cap.
But ...
The Eagles exercised the fifth-year option on Carter’s rookie contract, locking him in for 2027 at $27.1 million. ... with a $30 million APY deal surely on the horizon.
Maybe Philly doesn't want to pay that. But if that's the case, why pay Crosby - who is four years older - an even larger salary, as he's due $35 million this year?
(Worth noting: Maxx' new team must have the $30-mil-plus room to acquire him, after which it can do a restructure to spread out his money. Maybe it's even a "flip of the switch.'' But the cap impact long-term remains real.)
If the Eagles end up also getting draft capital in this deal? That could balance it out. But one-for-one?
A Carter-for-Crosby trade would be a win ... but not for the Eagles. It'd be a win for the Cowboys.