While Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones continues reshaping his team’s roster this offseason, a franchise legend is urging him to swing big. Recently, Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer reported that the Las Vegas Raiders could explore a trade involving a star defensive end as early as this week. 

“.@CrosbyMaxx it’s only right!” Dez Bryant wrote recently in an X post.

Seven NFL teams are reportedly monitoring Maxx Crosby’s situation, and the Cowboys are one of them. Not long after that report surfaced, Cowboys legend Dez Bryant demanded that Jones keep pursuing Crosby with his emphatic message with an exclamation mark.

Last year, Dez Bryant expressed his excitement for Crosby wearing a Cowboys Crosby jersey via an X post. This time, Bryant doubled down with a simple three-word message to Jerry Jones while quoting 103.5 The Fan’s discussion of Breer’s report, but this could cost Jones a first-round pick.

The clip attached to the post featured a debate among the hosts of the 103.5 The Fan podcast about whether the Cowboys should pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade for Crosby.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“You gotta be able to win now and win tomorrow at the same time,” RJ Choppy said in the clip shared by 103.5 The Fan. “That is the sweet spot, the cheat code, the trick, and I just don’t think you do that by trading away the 12th pick for somebody who is like in the 16th-15th hole of his career. Is he at his peak? Is he on the back side of his peak? Yeah, so like the Raiders have already gotten the best of Maxx Crosby. Most likely, we’ve already seen that, but he might have a season where he pops.”

RJ Choppy’s argument raises a fair question: would the Cowboys be buying high on a player who may already be past his absolute peak?

During the 2025 season, Maxx Crosby ranked second in the NFL with 28 tackles for loss, trailing only Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett (33), and earned the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Crosby also recorded 73 tackles and 10 sacks while securing his fifth Pro Bowl nod. 

Still, there are concerns with Maxx Crosby as he played through a lingering left knee injury, which he first suffered in October. The issue persisted throughout the season, and the Raiders eventually placed Crosby on injured reserve with two games left in the 2025 season.

Reports later suggested that Crosby felt frustrated with the Raiders after being shut down while he still wanted to finish the 2025 season.

Furthermore, despite Maxx Crosby’s individual success, his team’s results haven’t followed. Last season, the Raiders finished with a 3-14 record, which resulted in the sixth missed playoff appearance for the team in Crosby’s seven seasons in Las Vegas.

With new head coach Klint Kubiak beginning what looks like a full rebuild in Las Vegas, it makes sense for Crosby to seek another team that looks like a contender.  

The Raiders DE also turns 29 this year, and while that’s still prime territory for an edge rusher, durability matters. Crosby has undergone eight surgeries in seven years – a stat that can’t be ignored.

Will Jerry Jones pay Maxx Crosby’s trade price to boost the Cowboys’ defense?

After Jerry Jones traded away star pass rusher Micah Parsons last year, the Cowboys’ defense lost its bite as they had just 35 sacks and ranked 24th in the NFL.

Adding Maxx Crosby could immediately reshape the defensive unit’s identity, along with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker in Dallas. But the Raiders are reportedly seeking a steep trade price for Crosby.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Maxx Crosby does not appear eager to request a trade from the Raiders. However, any interested team would reportedly need to present a massive offer, and that’s where things get complicated for the Cowboys.

Last week, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio further reported that the Raiders are seeking a Micah Parsons-type trade price when it comes to Maxx Crosby.

“Per a league source, the Raiders are looking for two first-round picks and a player for the 28-year-old edge rusher,” Florio wrote in an article last week. “That’s what the Cowboys got for Micah Parsons in August, with the player being defensive lineman Kenny Clark. The quality of player the Raiders want wasn’t specified. Presumably, it’s a starting-caliber contributor.”

While the trade price is feasible for the Cowboys, as they have the No. 12 and No. 20 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, Jerry Jones might not want to surrender that level of draft capital.

Jones might consider that at the time of his trade, Parsons was two years younger than Crosby and had just completed four straight seasons with at least 12 sacks while playing for the Cowboys. Crosby’s injury history further complicates comparisons.

On top of that, the Cowboys currently sit around $56 million over the $301.2 million salary cap in 2026, while Maxx Crosby will be on the second year of his 3-year, $106.5M contract with the Raiders.

Jerry Jones has reportedly worked on creating $66 million in cap space for the Cowboys by restructuring deals for some veteran players, including Dak Prescott. But that maneuvering could only make a Crosby trade workable in the short term.

Ultimately, the decision to trade for Maxx Crosby comes down to how badly Jerry Jones wants the Cowboys to return to Super Bowl contention for the first time since the 1995 season.

Jones may have to take a calculated risk with Crosby if he wants to make the Cowboys more competitive for the 2026 season.