The Las Vegas Raiders say they're keeping Maxx Crosby, but the New England Patriots are definitely interested.
The Las Vegas Raiders have issued their official stance about keeping defensive end Maxx Crosby in the fold, but that doesn’t mean the rumors about possibilities are going to stop. One of the most recent involves the New England Patriots, according to Adam La Rosa of ProFootballRumors.com, and this is one of those rumors that comes with a lot of sides and facets.
Start with the fact that the Patriots are open to making significant trades after their surprising Super Bowl run. They know their window is wide open while they have quarterback Drake Maye on his rookie contract, and a Crosby trade and/or a deal for receiver AJ Brown are the two big options that are on the table for New England.
An amended version of the Crosby trade could be of interest to New England, especially given their draft position. The Patriots will be drafting near the end of the first round, which lessens the value of their top pick by a lot.
Another fascinating aspect of a prospective Crosby trade is the possible role of minority owner Tom Brady, who supposedly swore that his old team was the one club that was off limits when it came to a Crosby trade. Brady has been consistently waffling about his role in what the team is doing right now, and there’s really no way of knowing if this caveat still applies.
The other obstacle to this trade could be the possible AJ Brown trade. The Patriots probably can’t do both given the draft capital that would come into play, and the Brown trade is the rumor with more legs right now given Brown’s connections to New England coach Mike Vrabel.
Crosby would definitely solve a problem for New England. The Patriots managed just 35 sacks last season, and New England really didn’t have a pass rusher who could get home consistently. Crosby would instantly occupy a pair of defenders, and he also generates plenty of chaos in non-passing situation with his ability to disrupt plays. New England also has enough cap space to make this kind of trade, so a lot of the right pieces are in place.
The real question, as always, is about what the Raiders want. Their stated preference to keep Crosby may or may not be the reality of what they’re doing behind the scenes, but the Patriots are yet another team that bears watching.