The idea of star defensive end Maxx Crosby? Cowboys Nation is all the way in. The actual price it may take to get him? Not so much.
The Las Vegas Raiders' star defensive end Maxx Crosby is circulating as a top buzz name again this offseason as NFL free agency is nearing.
Crosby is undeniably one of the best defensive players in football, and after signing his mega contract last year, he now earns a salary that defends that status.
Perhaps the second most talked-about name this free agency is Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, who after a breakout Pro Bowl campaign, is expected to land the Cowboys' franchise tag with his rookie deal now expired.
Pickens helped drive an explosive Cowboys offense in 2025 that ranked near the top of the league, but the defense still dropped the team to a 7-9-1 record and out of playoff contention.
Dallas will fully addressing the defensive roster under new coordinator Christian Parker a multitude of ways. They've actually already began the process with Friday's news of midseason linebacker add Logan Wilson getting cut.
The idea of enhancing the pass-rush unit with a superstar like Crosby? Cowboys Nation is all the way in with an aggressive trade that yields an immediate impact player.
But...
The actual price it may take to get him? Not so much.
ESPN is pitching that the only way Dallas may get Crosby to play in silver and blue is by trading Pickens to Las Vegas, in addition to one of the Cowboys' two coveted first-round picks.
Their idea: Raiders get Pickens and pick No. 20; Dallas gets Crosby and pick No. 36.
Unfair? No. But ...
At this stage in the Cowboys franchise, the team cannot afford to break up a good thing. It would be terminating the Cowboys' biggest strength in an attempt to mask its biggest weakness.
That won't be worth it in the long haul, which it seems the franchise is aiming for with young, inexperienced hires like coaches Brian Schottenheimer and Christian Parker.
Pickens admirably rewrote the personality narratives about him since his arrival in Dallas, which added with his awesome production, made him an immediate favorite with the fans and in the locker room. Those players are hard to move off of, especially when they contribute as much as GP did in 2025.
It seems like Crosby is growing a disgruntled reputation in Sin City, but the Cowboys shouldn't gamble on another questionable case just because of the roster need.
Pickens is now a proven commodity within the Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Schottenheimer-led offense. The fact that Dallas' running back situation with Javonte Williams entering free agency is also uncertain adds even more to the urgency to keep things constant in the pass game.
We hardly know what a Parker-led defense looks like to begin with, so how are we going to expect adding an All-Pro, but polarizing, presence pans out to be better than what we already know Prescott/Lamb/Pickens can do together?
Crosby would definitely change the defense overnight, but so too could two first-round draft picks that would be four-year players on cheap contracts. And the "break the bank" free agency push owner Jerry Jones has announced can be used elsewhere.
Trading Pickens for Crosby would do equal amount of impact to the offense as it would to the defense, but in a negative light.
As per our Nov. 27 scoop, the Cowboys initially planned (and will continue following) the "easy path" regarding Pickens, at least as it pertains to 2026.
Anything straying away from that would be a colossal overthink where one step forward also brings an unnecessary and likely costly step backward.