The Denver Broncos have won 24 regular season games since the start of the 2024 NFL Season. The Kansas City Chiefs have won 21 regular season games during that time, and the Los Angeles Chargers have won 22. Many have looked at the AFC West as being a three-horse race between these three clubs.
But the Las Vegas Raiders have added a good bit of talent this offseason and probably should not be totally discounted, even though they're the Raiders. Las Vegas may have found its franchise quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, and the front office was active this offseason in shoring up some of the weak spots on the roster.
And, oddly, the team almost traded Maxx Crosby, as the team seemed like it was going through, and Crosby was heading to the Baltimore Ravens, but the Ravens backed out at the last minute. Could Crosby still be traded, though?
Denver Broncos would love to see Maxx Crosby getting dealt to the NFC
A trade proposal from Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report would send Crosby to the San Francisco 49ers, far away from the Broncos:
"San Francisco 49ers Get: Edge Maxx Crosby
Las Vegas Raiders Get: 2027 Round 1 Pick, 2028 Round 2 Pick, Edge Mykel Williams
We might as well kick things off with a bang.
To be clear, the Raiders have given no indication they are actively shopping edge-rusher Maxx Crosby after a trade to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks fell through over a failed physical. For his part, the 28-year-old Crosby told reporters he bears the Raiders no ill will and is moving on toward the 2026 season.
'It's water under the bridge,' Crosby said. 'It's a long time ago. A lot of things I learned about what's going on and what this league can bring. A lot of adversity, a lot of different things you can't really anticipate. But I've been through a lot in my life. It's nothing to me. I'm here and I want to be here and I'm excited to be here. I've got a lot of work to do.'
But the reality is the Raiders did try to trade Crosby this offseason. The trajectory of the franchise hasn't changed since then—Vegas is a rebuilding team. And while this offer isn't as good as Baltimore's was, it's not that far off—a first, a day 2 pick and a former first-round selection in Williams.
For the 49ers it's a chance to match the Los Angeles Rams (or come close) in an NFC West arms race that escalated after the Myles Garrett deal and add some pop to a pass rush facing multiple questions as we head toward training camp."
I would struggle to believe that the Raiders would not at least pick up the phone and listen to offers. Trading Crosby isn't just trading some random depth player - it's trading a top-10 player in the NFL, potentially. Vegas going from getting a deal (nearly) done with the Ravens to holding onto him might not be a realistic scenario.
The Raiders are in a rebuild, and teams that are rebuilding would surely love to accumulate more NFL Draft capital. With Crosby flirting with 30 years old, his prime years are dwindling, and if the Raiders plan on seeing this rebuild all the way through, the team might not fully arrive until 2027 or later.
It still feels like trading Crosby would make the most sense, and the Broncos should hope that any trade takes place. Sending Crosby to the NFC would be ideal, even with the Broncos facing the 49ers this year. They'd not have to deal with Crosby twice a year, and he's been a thorn in the team's side since entering the NFL.
And while teams would surely love to acquire more draft picks, those picks are far from a guarantee, so in the event of a trade, nothing would be set in stone that the Raiders would actually make good use of those picks.
Ideally, however it happens, the Broncos should hope that the Raiders end up actually trading Crosby sometime during the 2026 season.
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