RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesMaxx Crosby is still a Las Vegas Raider. His peers also still see him as one of the NFL's best players. Neither fact has stopped another round of trade speculation.Crosby landed at No. 24 on the NFL Top 100 for 2026, the league announced Thursday. It marks his fifth consecutive appearance on the player-voted list and his fourth straight year inside the top 25. The ranking comes five months after a proposed trade to the Baltimore Ravens collapsed and with the Dallas Cowboys once again being mentioned as a possible destination.What does Maxx Crosby's No. 24 ranking say after a turbulent offseason?Crosby dropped only two places from No. 22 in 2025. More importantly, his production gives players plenty of reason to keep him inside the NFL's top tier.The five-time Pro Bowler finished the 2025 season with 10 sacks despite missing Las Vegas' final two games. He also recorded 28 tackles for loss, second in the NFL behind Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Crosby led the Raiders in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback pressures while tying for the team lead with six pass deflections, according to Raiders.com.Those numbers came during a season in which Crosby underwent another heavy workload before having meniscus surgery. The knee became a major part of his offseason for another reason.Las Vegas agreed in March to send Crosby to Baltimore for two first-round picks, but the deal never became official. ESPN reported that the Ravens backed out after medical concerns arose during Crosby's physical. Crosby remained with the Raiders, while Baltimore eventually moved elsewhere for pass-rush help.Five months later, Crosby is back on the field in Las Vegas and back inside the NFL Top 100's top 25.Raiders defensive line coach Travis Smith pointed to the habits behind that production when discussing Crosby.“The people around him are so fortunate, including coaches, to watch the routine and the discipline he approaches every day with,” Smith said, via Raiders.com.Crosby is also the second Raiders player on the 2026 list. Tight end Brock Bowers came in at No. 60.The placement offers a useful snapshot of how players around the league view Crosby after the trade saga and knee questions. He may have slipped two spots, but they still ranked him ahead of several established stars, including T.J. Watt, Chris Jones, Aidan Hutchinson and Jalen Carter.His standing around the NFL does not appear to be the uncertain part of his situation.His long-term home might be.Why are the Cowboys still being linked to Maxx Crosby?Dallas already tried to get involved once.ESPN reported in March that the Cowboys offered Las Vegas the No. 12 overall pick as part of their pursuit of Crosby before the Ravens emerged with their two-first-round-pick package. The Cowboys ultimately moved in another direction after failing to land the Raiders star.Now, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has revived the possibility of Dallas circling back.During an appearance on “Yahoo Sports Daily,” Florio said a Crosby trade could become realistic if Las Vegas struggles once the regular season begins.“I can see a team like the Cowboys,” Florio said. “They’ve already talked about giving up future assets to improve their defense. And there was talk that they were thinking about making a play for Maxx Crosby back in March when the Ravens did. It would not surprise me if the Cowboys contend, the Raiders don’t, Crosby gets traded to Dallas.”That is speculation, not a report that Las Vegas is currently shopping Crosby or that Dallas has made another offer.There is also an obvious reason the idea continues to surface. Crosby has already shown what his trade market could look like. Baltimore was prepared to surrender two first-round picks before the physical stopped the deal, and Dallas had its own talks with Las Vegas earlier in the offseason. ESPN's reporting from March established that there was real interest, not simply a hypothetical connection between a contender and an elite pass rusher.Crosby now enters the season healthy enough to participate in Raiders training camp, removing at least some of the uncertainty that surrounded his knee in March.Las Vegas has no reason to treat a trade as inevitable. Crosby remains its top defensive player, and his No. 24 ranking is another reminder of his value.But the offseason already proved something important. A Maxx Crosby trade went much further than rumor once.That is why every time another contender needs a pass rusher, the conversation is unlikely to stay dead for long.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
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