Kristopher Knox has put Maxx Crosby back into the trade conversation, predicting that the Dallas Cowboys could try to land the Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher before the 2026 NFL season kicks off. It is a speculative call rather than an active report, but it underlines how quickly Crosby’s name can re-enter the market whenever the Raiders’ long-term direction is questioned.
The idea comes after a busy stretch around both franchises. This spring, Dr. Daniel Cooper was part of the Ravens' review team for Crosby's knee, while this offseason a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for Crosby fell through. Then, in July, Jerry Jones said Dallas never closed the door on acquiring Maxx Crosby. This week, the Raiders also appeared to be wrapping up their initial 53-man roster, which only adds to the sense that any move now would be a bigger-picture decision rather than an immediate roster fix.
Knox’s case for a future move
Knox’s view is that the Raiders may not want to sell now, but could change course if the season goes badly. As he put it, the Raiders seem content to keep Crosby after the Baltimore Ravens trade collapsed, but they could revisit the idea of moving the 29-year-old if they are struggling to compete in late October.
That is the key point. The question is not Crosby’s quality. It is whether a rebuilding team would eventually decide that the return matters more than holding onto an elite veteran pass rusher if the season is slipping away.
Why the Cowboys angle is not simple
Dallas, though, is not approaching this from a blank slate. The Cowboys have already added Rashan Gary and drafted Malachi Lawrence, which makes another major pass-rush investment feel less urgent than it might have done earlier in the offseason.
That is why Knox’s prediction reads more like a scenario than a forecast. The logic is there: Crosby is one of the league’s premier edge defenders, and the Cowboys have shown they are open to ambitious moves. But the roster context suggests the fit is not straightforward.
Knox also pointed to the Raiders’ future planning as the reason a deal could eventually make sense. After taking Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, Las Vegas will not be looking for a quarterback in next year’s draft. Instead, the franchise should be thinking about long-term building blocks around Mendoza. In that sense, moving Crosby, who could be past his prime by the time the Raiders are ready to contend again, could bring back a very strong return.
What the deal could mean
The likely cost is what makes this kind of prediction so striking. A trade for Crosby would almost certainly require significant draft capital, and the headline figures attached to the discussion are 2027 first-round picks and 2028 first-round picks. That is the sort of package that would reshape both teams’ roster-building plans.
For the Raiders, the appeal is obvious if they decide the timeline no longer fits. For the Cowboys, it would be a win-now swing that would demand confidence in their ability to contend immediately. For now, though, it remains exactly what Knox framed it as: a prediction built around a possible late-season reset, not a move that is happening today.
What happens next depends on results. If the Raiders remain competitive, Crosby stays put. If not, and if October turns into a turning point, the trade chatter could return fast.
