Just like last offseason, star edge rusher Maxx Crosby has found himself in the center of uncertainty regarding his next team.
At this time last year, the defensive end position saw a market explosion with numerous players signing new contracts to be the next highest-paid player at the position - or in NFL history for a defender.
Five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby was the first of the bunch when he signed a three-year, $106.5 million deal in early March to stay with the Las Vegas Raiders, who agreed to pay him an average annual salary of $35.5 million.
Now, it appears, he could be the first pass rusher to find a new home before the 2026 season.
Of course, this market would ultimately be headlined by the Dallas Cowboys' trade of star pass rusher Micah Parsons in August, which led to Parsons signing the richest contract of them all at four years and $186 million with the Green Bay Packers.
Now, Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer says it's likely that Crosby is "done" playing for the Raiders.
Glazer reports that the tensions that boiled up from lowly Las Vegas' decision to keep Crosby inactive for the final two regular season games against his wishes will ultimately lead to him playing in a different uniform next season via a trade.
What would it cost? Well, he mentions a familiar name.
"Probably more than Micah," Glazer said in what it'd take to land "Mad Maxx".
Throughout the Parsons fall out with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones amid his contract extension impasse, we frequently mentioned Crosby's name as a potential heir to Parsons as Dallas' premier edge rusher.
In the end, the Cowboys flipped Parsons into Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams and an extra first-round pick in this April's NFL Draft. The immediate return, however, didn't offer much as Williams only got to Dallas at the trade deadline and there was a clear absence of pass-rush pressure from the edges all season.
The original return - Clark and two firsts - is substantial, but it was Jones' dealings afterward that made the deal look somewhat worthwhile on the inside of the line (not paying Parsons $46.5 million annually is another factor).
The fact that the Raiders and Crosby are parting ways isn't anything new, but growing buzz about his true feelings about the state of the organization add to the suspense that there's a burnt bridge that can't be rebuilt. It's awfully similar to Parsons' story in Dallas.
"It's Maxx's decision," Glazer said to Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. "[The Raiders] didn't want to do it. But he was like, 'I'm not going through another rebuild.'"
Las Vegas has the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, where many expect them to land their next franchise quarterback in Indiana's national champion gunslinger Fernando Mendoza. A massive haul of draft capital in a Crosby trade would only improve their obvious rebuild.
Would the Cowboys go after him? The personnel need is certainly there, but will there be enough assets at Dallas' disposal - outside of this year's extra first-round pick - that will satisfy the Raiders and strike a deal?
We may have a long way to go - as last year's timeline indicated is possible - but if the Raiders are serious about gaining capital in this year's draft and cutting ties with Crosby, the Cowboys could be one of many teams picking up the phones.