Does anyone else get the sense that the Dallas Cowboys are moving with a different energy about them since the 2025 season ended?
Stephen Jones is actually talking like an NFL general manager for once, not a fake salary-cap expert who thinks he knows better than everyone. The process that led to hiring 34-year-old Christian Parker as defensive coordinator? Completely uncharted territory.
While Brian Schottenheimer clearly spearheaded the DC search, the front office also appears to understand that aggressive action is necessary to put Dallas back on the map in 2026.
Raiders stalwart pass rusher Maxx Crosby figures to be the center of trade conversations this offseason after he butted heads with Las Vegas' leadership at the end of the season.
Sure enough, CBS Sports writer and former agent Joel Corry listed Crosby as one of 15 players who could be traded or released this offseason. To put it bluntly, there is no universe in which the Raiders release Crosby, making a trade the only path for him to leave Sin City.
A Cowboys trade for Maxx Crosby might actually be realistic
"... In order for a trade to occur, Crosby will likely have to force Raiders owner Mark Davis' hand, Corry writes. "The Raiders briefly made Crosby the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback last March with a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension, averaging $35.5 million, although he had two years remaining on his existing contract.
The deal has $91.5 million in guarantees, of which $62.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. There are four years worth $116.058 million left on Crosby's contract."
It speaks volumes that Crosby made the cut. For context, Eagles perpetually disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray were Corry's other trade candidates. Even if you don't follow the NFL at large, odds are you've heard rumblings that Brown and Murray could be out in Philadelphia and Arizona, respectively.
There have been similar whispers regarding Crosby's future after he was fiercely against being shut down for the final two games due to a knee injury. The Raiders had their sights set on the No. 1 overall pick, which they ultimately got, and did not want Crosby wrecking an obvious taking agenda.
READ MORE: Cowboys urged to make another trade with Steelers (this time on defense)
While Las Vegas is in the process of hiring a new head coach, its relationship with Crosby may already be splintered beyond repair. Either way, the tension is real, and the Cowboys should be blowing up general manager John Spytek’s phone until he’s forced to put it on Do Not Disturb.
There's an argument to be made that Dallas has too many needs to burn two first-round picks on Crosby. At the bare minimum, the defense needs a pass rusher, a cornerback, a linebacker, and a safety. Trading for Crosby would take a sizable bite out of the Joneses draft capital.
On the flip side, no player the Cowboys draft at No. 12 or No. 20 overall will be as good as Crosby right now unless they somehow luck into another Micah Parsons.
Those odds are extremely thin, and Crosby, who's seventh in the NFL with 59.5 sacks since 2021, would instantly address the team’s biggest need. For all the concern about the secondary, pass rusher is the more urgent need.
If Crosby ends up forcing his way out of Vegas, it would be franchise malpractice if the Cowboys don't do everything in their power to bring him to Dallas.