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Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions looks on in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions remain a veteran pass-rusher shy of a full defensive end room, but that player is not going to be five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom on Thursday, May 21 reported that the trade discussions around Crosby are all but over, quoting an NFL general manager who said the Raiders are moving forward with Crosby as a tentpole of their roster.
“He’s going to start the season there, and he’ll probably play his ass off,” the GM said, per LaCanfora. “They might get some calls, but I don’t think he’s getting moved now. I kind of think that ship has sailed.”
Lions Were Reportedly Interested in Trading Up to 2 First-Round Picks for Maxx Crosby
GettyLas Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby.
It was Crosby who initially pressed for a trade after the Raiders sidelined him for the final two games of the 2025 campaign due to a knee injury — a decision the franchise made against his wishes.
The Baltimore Ravens ultimately outbid every other team that came to the negotiating table, offering two first-round picks for Crosby — a deal to which Las Vegas agreed. The Raiders then spent north of $281 million over the first few days of free agency before the Ravens called off the trade, citing a failed physical involving Crosby’s recently surgically-repaired knee.
Detroit supposedly wanted to add Crosby across from superstar Aidan Hutchinson and create one of the most fearsome pass-rush duos in the league, based on reports coming out of the NFL Combine in late February.
“According to many in league circles, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes was more than willing to be aggressive to meet the trade demands of the Las Vegas Raiders, which included parting ways with two-first round draft picks,” John Maakaron of ON SI wrote. “Detroit’s entire coaching staff and front office were in agreement that adding Crosby would have been a move that would instantly put the team in serious contention to win the Super Bowl.”
Lions Drafted Derrick Moore, Added DJ Wonnum in Free Agency to Bolster Pass Rush
GettyDetroit Lions edge-rusher Derrick Moore.
After Crosby’s return to the Raiders, and presumably the trade market, following the collapse of the Ravens’ deal, common logic dictated his trade value had dropped to at least some degree.
If Maakaron’s report was entirely accurate, and Detroit was willing to sacrifice two firsts for Crosby, then it would have made sense for the team to explore the possibility of getting him for something less than that — maybe a first-rounder and a third-rounder, for instance.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler floated the notion that the Raiders would likely entertain a trade again leading up to the NFL draft in late April and/or the start of the regular season in mid-September.
“Since [Las Vegas] already looked at trading [Crosby], they’re open to that possibility, potentially, if the right offer would come,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported in March. “Now is gonna be a little slow, but you get closer to the draft, perhaps trade offers will heat up — or even maybe closer to the season.”
However, nothing meaningful ever materialized between the Lions and Raiders, or at least nothing that ever became public. Detroit has since added DJ Wonnum in free agency and drafted Derrick Moore out of Michigan in Round 2 to add to the pass-rush.
Other candidates Detroit could pursue to gain veteran depth at the position include Cameron Jordan and Von Miller.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible