The Las Vegas Raiders spelled out their asking price for defensive end Maxx Crosby last week at the NFL combine, which means it’s “rumor response week” as the list of interested teams starts to surface. Before the combine, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks were the two primary interested parties, depending on the source, but now the list is starting to expand.
Specifically, Mike Florio of Pro Football named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a time that might be interested, citing some speculation by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Most of what Stroud has written to date has focused on why the Bucs won’t do this, but now that the combine has passed he’s changing his tune. The reasons against this move are strong—longtime Bucs GM Jason Licht rarely trades draft picks, and the Raiders reportedly want a pair of first-rounders.
But the Bucs also have a big hole at defensive end. They gave Haason Reddick a try, signing the linebacker to a one-year deal for $14 million, but Reddick was a disappointment. Linebacker YaYa Diaby is their primary pass rusher, according to Florio, and the Bucs haven’t given up on linebacker David Walker, a fourth-round pick who tore an ACL early in training camp last year.
While Stroud hasn’t endorsed the possibility yet, he has suggested it could happen, which feels like a shift. Local columnists and reporters often have their fingers on the pulse in situations like this, so it’s worth taking seriously.
“If Crosby is available, history tells us Licht won’t go after him,” Stroud wrote. “But fortune does favor the bold at times.”
There are a couple of other factors that could play into this move. The Raiders might want to send Crosby out of the AFC, and they certainly wouldn’t see him much in Tampa. In addition, Licht has a relationship with minority owner Tom Brady, who may or may not be calling the shots for the Raiders on any given day.
The Bucs will draft 15th this year, and Florio suggested that Tampa Bay’s other pick in this deal could be a second-rounder instead of another first. The final sticking point would then be about the player the Raiders wanted, and Las Vegas has needs all over the field.
It’s important to remember that this is just the first shot in the upcoming bidding war for Crosby. Other teams will surface, and the Raiders are hoping one of them gets desperate enough to overpay for Crosby to improve its pass rush.