Niners Nation
Maxx Crosby is on record saying that he speaks to Nick Bosa before games. Could this be the dream duo the 49ers have been searching for all along?
This offseason has the potential to be wild in the NFL. Teams like the San Francisco 49ers could look to make a splash and acquire a star edge rusher to pair opposite Nick Bosa. By the sounds of it, there won’t be a shortage of options on that front.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero said Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby became the latest star who could become available this offseason. Crosby, who has been open about being a “Raider for life,” has been candid about his feelings when it comes to the lack of winning in Las Vegas, per the NFL analysts:
“Open about his frustrations with the team’s seemingly endless string of changes and mounting losses. Crosby wants to win and be a big reason behind the success. Trading Crosby for a bounty of picks would be one way to expedite that process, and Crosby might welcome the change, particulary if it’s to a playoff team where he knows people.”
The Green Bay Packers were name-dropped as a potential destination. His former teammates, Josh Jacobs and Keisean Nixon, are in Green Bay, and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was the interim head coach for a year with the Raiders under Crosby.
Crosby, who has two years and about $44 million remaining on a contract extension he signed in 2022, also has ties to Michigan, where he’s a native and Eastern Michigan alum. Crosby tweeting about the Detroit Pistons within the last week will only spark rumors that he wants to play for the Lions.
Crosby is likely the most expensive candidate on the trading block this offseason. He’s 27, made four straight Pro Bowls, and has nearly 60 sacks in 95 games. He led the NFL in tackles for loss in 2022 and 2023 and has at least 30 quarterback hits from 2021-2023. We’re talking about one of the best defensive players in the NFL. You’re not getting Crosby without parting ways with a 1st rounder.
Ahead of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas last year, Crosby said he and Nick Bosa “have a healthy competition and a great relationship at the same time. We pick each other's brains and call each other before games. We have the ultimate respect. Definitely respect the hell out of him.”
If the 49ers’ star defensive end has Crosby on speed dial and the two talk before games, that should supersede being former teammates with a player who plays on the other side of the ball.
The 49ers have not been shy about making splash moves, whether in the NFL Draft, free agency, or trades. One move that jump-started this regime and made them contenders was trading a second-round draft pick to acquire Dee Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. That feels like a lifetime ago.
Ford was coming off...
