Cowboys’ 30th-Ranked Defense Targets $106.5M Crosby As 16 Teams Circle Raiders’ ‘Betrayed’ Pro Bowler

The Dallas Cowboys allowed a league-high 60 touchdowns on defense in 2025, finishing 30th in total defense (377 yards per game) and dead last 32nd in pass defense at 251.5 yards per game. That historically porous unit now drives the most aggressive trade pursuit of the offseason: landing five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that between 16 and 20 NFL teams would formally inquire about Crosby’s availability. The race for the 28-year-old pass rusher is shaping up as the offseason’s defining transaction, and the Cowboys may not have enough to win it.

Record-Breaking Contract

Crosby signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension with the Raiders in March 2025, including $ 91.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. “This is not for what you’ve done, but for what you’re about to do,” GM John Spytek said at the press conference.

Among defensive linemen since 2019, Crosby ranks first in tackles for loss (105) and tied for fourth in sacks (59.5). In 2025, despite playing through a knee injury from Week 7, he posted 73 tackles, 10 sacks, and 28 tackles for loss across 15 games. Less than a year after that extension, the franchise may ship him out.

Tanking Suspicions

The Raiders finished 3-14 and secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. On December 23, Las Vegas shut Crosby down for the final two games, citing a knee injury he had played through since October. Crosby “vehemently disagreed” with the decision and left the team facility. “I don’t care about the pick,” Crosby said days earlier.

“My job is to be the best defensive end in the world”. The Raiders won neither of those final games. A five-time Pro Bowler who publicly denied caring about draft positioning was sidelined precisely so the franchise could improve theirs.

Brady’s Proxy

The full scope of Crosby’s anger centers on an unexpected figure. Albert Breer of NBC Sports reported the rift “goes all the way to the top of the organization with Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero”. Guerrero Brady’s longtime trainer and business partner serves as the Raiders’ wellness coordinator and functions as Brady’s “eyes and ears” within the building.

Guerrero was directly involved in communicating the shutdown to Crosby, which “really angered Maxx,” Breer said. Multiple staff members reportedly answer to Guerrero, creating an unprecedented power structure where a wellness coordinator wields personnel-level influence. It is this dynamic, not merely the losing, that fractured Crosby’s seven-year loyalty.

The Parsons Price

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Raiders would demand “somewhere along the lines of a Micah Parsons package” to move Crosby, meaning two first-round picks plus a Pro Bowl-caliber player. The precedent is exact: in August 2025, the Cowboys dealt Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

Dallas holds two first-rounders this year, No. 12 and No. 20 overall, but already traded its 2027 first-rounder to the Jets for Quinnen Williams at the November deadline. That limits their flexibility significantly. Matching the complete Parsons package may require creative alternatives involving players instead of future picks.

Cap Gymnastics

The Cowboys are projected to be approximately $29–31 million over the 2026 salary cap. Acquiring Crosby would add roughly $30.8 million to their books. However, Dallas possesses the highest restructuring potential in the NFL, up to $131 million through contract conversions.

Restructuring Dak Prescott alone could free $31 million by converting base salary into a signing bonus. CeeDee Lamb’s restructure would open another $19 million. The salary cap, in practice, bends for teams willing to push costs into future years, but the compounding risk means the Cowboys would be borrowing against a window that must deliver results before the bill comes due.

Trade Blueprints

ESPN’s trade analysts have already sketched competing proposals. Dan Graziano proposed the Cowboys send wide receiver George Pickens and their No. 20 overall pick to the Raiders for Crosby and the 36th pick. Jeremy Fowler mapped a Chargers package featuring DJ Moore, a 2027 first-rounder, and a 2027 third-rounder.

Ben Solak designed a Buccaneers offer with Chris Godwin Jr., the No. 15 pick, and a 2027 second-rounder. Each scenario falls short of the complete Parsons package, suggesting the market may force Las Vegas to accept less if Crosby’s desire to leave becomes undeniable. The gap between what the Raiders demand and what teams are willing to offer will determine the outcome.

Medical Risk

Crosby’s injury history introduces legitimate risk. He missed the final four games of 2024 due to ankle surgery (12 games, 7.5 sacks) and injured his knee in Week 7 of 2025, rarely practicing at full speed afterward. He confirmed meniscus surgery in January 2026 by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles and targeted a June return: “I know I’ll be back in June, around that time, fully”.

Yet his public restraint contrasts sharply with reports that his camp is fielding trade interest. New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak met with Crosby post-hire and called the meeting productive, but Breer reported it “changed nothing” about the player’s frustrations. A team trading premium picks for a 28-year-old coming off consecutive injury-shortened seasons faces a calculus where elite talent collides with medical uncertainty.

Youngest DC, Oldest Problem

New defensive coordinator Christian Parker, at 34, is the youngest in Cowboys franchise history, a stark departure from predecessors routinely over 50. He inherits a unit that head coach Brian Schottenheimer rebuilt through nine coordinator interviews and more than 40 staff interviews. Parker’s scheme will determine whether Crosby or any edge rusher can transform a defense broken at multiple levels.

Dallas finished 32nd in passing defense despite already acquiring Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline. The linebacker corps and secondary remain depleted. One elite pass rusher may not fix a defense that failed across every positional group, no matter how many sacks he produces.

The Real Question

Before free agency opens on March 11, both franchises must answer uncomfortable questions. The Cowboys must decide whether one elite edge rusher fixes a defense broken at every level or whether trading both first-round picks leaves the youngest DC in franchise history with star power but no depth.

The Raiders must decide whether to cash in Crosby’s prime for draft capital to surround the No. 1 pick, or risk watching their best player’s loyalty dissolve entirely. Crosby said his focus is “getting healthy because that’s all I can control”. The 16-to-20 teams circling suggest control left his hands months ago. What both sides sacrifice next will define their trajectories for the next half-decade.

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Sources:
ESPN — 2026 NFL Offseason Trade Proposals That Fit for Both Teams (Graziano, Fowler, Solak)
CBS Sports — Maxx Crosby’s Beef With Raiders Includes Tom Brady, Alex Guerrero
Heavy.com — Cowboys Linked to Trade of Draft Haul for $106 Million Star
SI.com — Cowboys’ Defensive Rankings for 2025 Season Show Importance of Overhaul
NBC Sports — Albert Breer reporting on Raiders organizational rift and Kubiak meeting
Blogging the Boys — Contract Restructures and Christian Parker Coordinator Hire