The Las Vegas Raiders starred in one of the most bizarre storylines in recent NFL history, and that’s a lot to say.
They agreed to trade superstar pass-rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, only to bring him back home when health concerns led them to back out of the deal.
Crosby is back in Sin City and fully expected to be a Raider at the start of the season, though that doesn’t mean other teams won’t try to pry him away at some point in the campaign.
Considering that, ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell believes they might even get him at a discount. In his latest article, he deemed Crosby’s trade value as “one first-round pick and more,” as opposed to the two first-rounders they would’ve gotten from the Ravens.
Maxx Crosby might be available at a discount
“The fact that Vegas didn’t quickly find a new home for Crosby suggests that it wasn’t able to land another deal with two first-round picks from another team,” Barnwell wrote.
If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see at least half a dozen teams trying to get their hands on one of the best headhunters in the game.
Nevertheless, Barnwell also acknowledged that a strong start to the season might boost Crosby’s trade value:
“Crosby would still net a first-rounder, and if he’s healthy and productive to begin the season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran’s value creeped back up toward those two first-round picks,” Barnwell added.
Regardless of how he plays, Crosby will continue to be tangled up in trade rumors. They already agreed to move him once, so who’s to say it won’t happen again?
Crosby is an elite pass-rusher, and those don’t grow in trees. Likewise, they don’t get much better as they grow older, so the Raiders may have to make a decision.
He’s outgrown the franchise and may not fit the Fernando Mendoza timeline, but other teams will be more than glad to pay a premium just to get him while he’s still in his prime, even if that’s short-lived.
Crosby is a Raider today, but he may not be one at the end of the season.
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