The NFL trade deadline is coming up on November 5, and the Detroit Lions are searching for an edge rusher who can help fill the void left by defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who is out due to a broken tibia. Of course, on the top of the wish list of many Lions fans is bringing Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Motor City. Crosby is a Michigan native, born and raised in Lapeer, and played football at Eastern Michigan, so being part of the Detroit Lions would be a full-circle moment.
Some believe it could happen. In a feature for USA Today’s For the Win, Cory Woodroof names a Crosby trade to the Lions one of his “top 10 bold 2024 NFL trade deadline predictions.”
‘The Detroit Lions Are Trying to Win a Super Bowl’
In the October 22 story, Woodroof says bringing Crosby to the Detroit Lions could help the team secure a Super Bowl win.
“The Detroit Lions are trying to win a Super Bowl. Losing Aidan Hutchinson dealt a severe blow to that pursuit,” he stated. “An aggressive Lions team decides to send a Godfather-style offer to Las Vegas with two first-round picks attached to get Crosby in Motor City.”
He added, “It’s the biggest NFL trade deadline move in ages, and it helps buoy Detroit’s defense after losing Hutchinson. Once Hutchinson is back, the Lions have the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL. Vegas says goodbye for a treasure trove of picks.”
Jeff Howe of The Athletic says he would also like to see Crosby in Honolulu blue.
“Crosby would be an aggressive move,” Howe noted in the October 23 feature. “He’d also be expensive. He’s one of the best defenders in the league, just turned 27 and is under contract through 2026, so he’d be playing through the prime of his career in Detroit. But Detroit shouldn’t let expense be prohibitive in a clear Super Bowl window.”
Howe added, “Holmes has hit on so many draft picks that the Lions can afford to give up some of their future capital. I don’t think they’d have any regrets over the compensation next season when Hutchinson and Crosby are lined up across from each other. With the Raiders, they aren’t going to be jumping at the idea of trading away their best player, but they aren’t going to hit the next phase of their rebuild without a quarterback. They need to maximize their draft assets to forge as many paths as possible to find one.”
Maxx Crosby Still Says He Wants to Stay in Vegas
As for what Crosby thinks, in the October 22 episode of his podcast, “The Rush with Maxx Crosby,” the three-time Pro Bowler says he wants to stay in Las Vegas.
“I want to be [in Las Vegas]. I want to be silver and black. I’ll say it loud and (expletive) clear; I want to be a Raider,” Crosby said. “I’ve said it over and over and over again, but yeah, it’s a business part of it too.”
He added, “Like, I don’t have 100% control of all that, but I know that at the end of the day, just seeing all the craziness, it’s been (expletive) insane. I can’t even open my phone.”
Crosby signed a four-year, $94 Million contract with the Raiders in 2022, with an annual average salary of $23,500,000. The Raiders initially drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
