Despite Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis attempting to quell trade rumors surrounding Maxx Crosby on Thursday, the Detroit Lions remain linked to pass rushers after Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 6.
Crosby, a three-time Pro Bowler with 57.5 career sacks, is a prominent name on the trade market, especially as the 2-4 Raiders struggle to find success in the AFC.
On Thursday, Crosby made headlines by stating, “I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win. I don’t know, whatever that means… Wherever I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be here to win.”
Former NFL general manager Thomas Dimitroff joined “The Zach Gelb Show” on Infinity Sports Network, discussing what he believes Crosby could bring in a major trade.
He urged the Lions to aggressively pursue a deal with the Raiders, saying,
“This is a situation where you have to come up with two first-round picks, you might have to come up with a third-round pick and something more.”
Dimitroff emphasized that a legitimate offer would need to include two first-round picks.
The Lions, currently 4-1 as they head into Week 7, do not possess a third-round pick for 2025 but have several fourth-round selections that could serve as additional trade assets.
Dimitroff, who was the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager from 2008 to 2020, was involved in several significant trades during his tenure, including a 2011 draft-day trade to acquire the No. 6 pick to select Julio Jones.
In that trade, Atlanta gave up two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and two fourth-rounders for the future seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
Crosby, now 27, is in the second year of a four-year, $94 million contract extension signed in March 2022.
According to Spotrac, he has a base salary of $24.5 million this season, which will decrease to $22.2 million and $18.8 million over the next two years.
If the Raiders trade Crosby before the NFL’s November 5 deadline, they would save $25.3 million in salary cap space for this year, though they would incur a dead cap hit of $15.3 million split between 2024 and 2025.
