There is a saying that says that teams tank, players and coaches do not. We got to see that in action as the Las Vegas Raiders went full tank mode ahead of their matchup with the New York Giants. The team benched Maxx Crosby and placed him on IR. Crosby was not a fan of the move and reportedly left team facilities in response.
Crosby is one of the best defenders in the NFL and has been the brightest spot for a bad Raiders team. He is a five-time Pro Bowler, including this year, and earned second-team All-Pro honors twice to this point. He recently signed a three-year extension and is under team control through the 2029 season, according to OverTheCap. Bleacher Report‘s Kristopher Knox recently named five teams that could trade for the superstar. Four teams are the ones you’d expect: the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers. The fifth team? The Cincinnati Bengals.
Why would the Bengals make this trade? Would they? Perhaps the most enticing part of Crosby’s contract is that he is not owed any guaranteed money for the final three years of his contract. He would have the fourth-highest cap hit on the team in 2027 and 2028, as the contracts currently stand.
Bengals Named Potential Trade Suitor For Maxx Crosby
The Trade And Justification
According to Knox, the Bengals could send a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart to Las Vegas for Crosby.
“The Cincinnati Bengals need to do something to produce a functional defense. They have one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in Joe Burrow, plus a tremendous collection of offensive skill players. However, the Bengals’ defense has recently kept them out of the playoff hunt, even when Burrow has been healthy.
“Cincinnati currently ranks dead-last in total defense and has recorded just 28 sacks as a team. It’s also set to lose standout sack artist Trey Hendrickson in free agency.
“Making a move for Crosby would accomplish two things for the Bengals. Obviously, it would help improve a defense that desperately needs an influx of talent. It would also signal to the fanbase and the players that Cincinnati is serious about building a winner.
“In this hypothetical scenario, the Bengals send young defender Shemar Stewart as part of the package to land Crosby. The 17th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Stewart is a physically gifted but raw pass-rushing prospect who might better fit Las Vegas’ trajectory than Cincinnati’s.
“It’s likely going to take time for Stewart to develop into a star, and the Bengals need to maximize their window with Burrow now. In Las Vegas, though, Stewart could potentially ascend around the same time the Raiders are ready to contend in the AFC West.”
Is It Realistic?
Short answer: no.
Long answer: Nope.
The Bengals trading for Crosby would be an exciting prospect. They would immediately improve the pass-rush and have one of the top defenders under contract for four seasons, with the only on-the-books guarantees owed to him in 2026. It would work the way the Bengals like to do things, sure. However, if there is a team that is going to be incredibly stubborn with its draft picks, it’s the Bengals. Add in the fact that they would have to spend two premium picks, and you can see how Duke Tobin and the ownership would be hesitant.
The approach currently is to be young and cheap on the defense and then hide behind the lucrative contract on offense to allow all of the “experts” to degrade them for signing Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. It’s an easy cop-out. They could have signed all three for less AND extended Trey Hendrickson and Jessie Bates III when the time came, but chose not to.
Financials could work. Plus, adding a player of Crosby’s caliber would allow the interior defensive line and Max Murphy on the opposite side earn more advantageous matchups. Crosby is currently 29, so he’s technically under that dreaded 30-year-old age. However, could the team swallow having him for his age 30, 31, 32, and 33 seasons?
It’s a fun thought experiment, but unless the Raiders are prepared to take less, the Bengals are not picking up the phone. It’s just not how they operate.