As the 2026 season draws closer, all teams’ training camps start to intensify. But perhaps for the Raiders, things got a little too intense in practice. Star EDGE rusher Maxx Crosby and veteran QB Kirk Cousins got into a scuffle in practice on Friday after Crosby hit the QB’s throwing arm twice in practice and Cousins called out the DE for being too physical. This incident has caused many rumors to float around in the media, and the co-hosts of the Nightcap show had something to add about the incident.

According to former NBA player Iso Joe Johnson, Maxx Crosby hitting QB Kirk Cousins in practice was intentional. When the host of the show asked him whether Crosby did it on purpose, Joe Johnson agreed.

“Y’all know Crosby want to be in Dallas, man… He’s trying to do whatever he can to get on up out there man, go come to Dallas. Yeah, yeah, he hit the quarterback on purpose… yeah, he want him to be pissed off… see, yeah, go get me out,” Joe Johnson said on the recent Nightcap episode. 

However, co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson was quick to call out that it was Johnson who wanted Crosby to make the move to Dallas. But Crosby was a Raider through and through. 

Joe Johnson is known for being an unapologetic and proud fan of America’s Team. So it would come as no surprise that it was he who was trying to push a ‘Crosby to Dallas’ narrative. 

However, this isn’t the first time Maxx Crosby has been linked to the Cowboys. It’s no secret that Crosby was on the way out this offseason to Baltimore, but Dallas was in trade discussions too. They aggressively pursued the star pass-rusher, initially offering DT Osa Odighizuwa and the No. 20 overall pick before upping its offer to the No. 12 pick, a 2027 second-rounder, and Odighizuwa.  

Although the Raiders accepted Baltimore’s competing offer of two first-rounders, that trade collapsed after Maxx Crosby failed his physical following knee surgery. 

“We were in on making an offer for him… He would’ve come to Dallas,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly confirmed Dallas’s interest while keeping future talks open in March.

“We did not walk away. That’s about all there is to say,” Jones reaffirmed recently on whether they walked away from the deal per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

Beyond front-office interest, Crosby has local ties from attending Colleyville Heritage High School in North Texas and recently praised Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as “in command” on the NFL Top 100 inclusion. 

However, with the 2026 season coming up, Maxx Crosby stated that all the trade talk “doesn’t change anything” for him.

Shannon Sharpe claimed that Crosby is better against the run than against the pass because of his unpredictability. But Crosby is a great pass rusher as well, evidenced by him leading the NFL twice in 5 seasons for the most tackles for loss. The Cowboys defense was the worst in the NFL, ranking 32nd in passing yards allowed per game (251.1), points allowed per game (30.1), and ranked 23rd in rushing yards allowed per game (125.5) in the 2025 season per FOX Sports’ defensive rankings. 

So, while a Maxx Crosby to the Cowboys move seems interesting, for now, no such deal is in place.