Several NFL teams are purportedly interested in a deal for superstar pass-rusher Maxx Crosby should one become available, but the Detroit Lions have been actively pursuing that exact trade for a while now.
John Maakaron of ON SI reported on Friday, February 27 that several league sources confirmed the actionable interest in a Crosby move on behalf of the Detroit front office, which viewed the defensive end’s acquisition as a potential finishing piece to a Super Bowl run.
“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,” Maakaron 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’ Cap Concerns Could Prove Problem in Adding Expensive Talent Like Maxx Crosby
GettyDetroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.
The primary concern for the Lions regarding a trade for Crosby was simply paying for it with all of the talent from the 2023 draft class up for contract extensions in Detroit.
“The Lions have four 2023 draft picks they want to extend — [Sam] LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch — and there are people around the league who wonder whether they’ll be able to get all of those deals done or if they’d have to trade someone,” Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote earlier this week.
Graziano and his ESPN colleague Ben Solak landed on LaPorta as the most likely trade candidate of the bunch, though marked the chances of such a deal actually going through at just 10 percent. The reasoning was that Detroit ultimately wouldn’t trade the former second-team All-Pro after drafting him in the second round just three years ago.
That begs the question of precisely how the Lions would fit Crosby into their salary cap structure, as the team is currently more than $12 million in the red for 2026 and has some significant bills coming due.
Terrion Arnold’s Circumstances May Halt Lions’ Willingness to Trade 2 First-Round Picks for Maxx Crosby
GettyCornerback Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions.
Holmes and company must have plotted a financial pathway forward for Crosby’s acquisition, assuming they could pull it off. But whether the public will ever have any idea what that path was is now a serious question for two reasons.
The first is that Raiders GM John Spytek indicated at the combine that the team intends to do all it can to keep Crosby, who is under contract through 2029 on a $106.5 million extension.
The second is that new reports have potentially connected cornerback Terrion Arnold to off-field legal issues that might render the sacrifice of two first-round picks for Crosby too much for the Lions to give up.
“League sources [expressed] the recent developments with cornerback Terrion Arnold will likely put a pause on Detroit’s willingness to part ways with early round picks, as the team may now need to use one on a cornerback in the not too distant future,” Maakaron continued.
Arnold’s legal issues stem from an alleged incident in Florida earlier this month.
“Arnold has been linked to an alleged armed robbery and kidnapping incident earlier this month in Tampa, Fla., after the Airbnb he had rented nearby was burglarized twice, according to Hillsborough County Circuit Court records,” David Carrillo Penaloza of The Athletic reported Friday.
The Lions hold the No. 17 pick in the first-round of the upcoming NFL draft.
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