The idea of the Dallas Cowboys making a blockbuster trade to acquire Maxx Crosby in the 2026 offseason would be a dream come true...unless you're in the business of concocting nightmare fuel like ESPN's Jason McCourty apparently is.
There are few scenarios that would simultaneously have the Dallas Cowboys landing Crosby in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cowboys' fan base being disappointed at the same time, but McCourty found a way to come up with one.
On ESPN's Get Up program, McCourty suggested the Cowboys trade star wide receiver George Pickens to the Raiders in order to acquire Crosby. Because who wouldn't want to rob Peter to pay Paul?
Jason McCourty suggests the Dallas Cowboys trade George Pickens for Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby for George Pickens? 👀@JasonMcCourty lays out a potential Cowboys-Raiders deal pic.twitter.com/Ng0umUEQLj
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 11, 2026
It's understandable what McCourty is doing right here. The Cowboys need a pass rush presence, and Crosby would be a great addition. The Raiders need help at wide receiver, so adding George Pickens would be amazing.
But even though both of those things are true, a straight-up trade -- one player for the other -- would be a horrible scenario for both parties.
From the Cowboys' perspective, it would be a lot easier to part with the unknown draft selections than to give up Pickens, an established star and perfect fit for this offense. A perfect fit with Dak Prescott. A player who finally takes a ton of pressure off of CeeDee Lamb week after week.
Trading Pickens may be a possibility, but the Cowboys should be looking for the best possible offer of draft selections if they are going to move him. And that shouldn't be the goal at all. The goal should be to find a way to have your cake and eat it, too.
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The ideal scenario for the Cowboys would be to send their draft capital to the Raiders for Crosby, and frankly, that would make a lot more sense for the Raiders as well.
If the Raiders were to trade Crosby for Dallas's pair of first-round picks in this draft, they'd be able to use those picks on other building block positions, because they have no shortage of needs on both sides of the ball.
The Cowboys may have something even more attractive to a team like the Raiders than Pickens, which would be their 2027 NFL Draft picks. Next year is expected to be an absolutely loaded class, and the Raiders might want to start collecting for their future war chest.
The idea of a one-for-one trade might fill some immediate needs on paper, but for the Cowboys and Raiders, it would be extremely disappointing value for players like Pickens and Crosby.