2. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
The Lions trading for Crosby has felt about as unlikely as them trading for Garrett, with him consistently brushing off wanting a trade and seeming to be renewed by the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll as head coach. But the situation in Las Vegas is going to be a difficult climb, with three 2024 playoff teams in the division and the effort to find a quarterback is now being taken on by a new regime.
Crosby is of course a Michigan native and an Eastern Michigan alum. He has also said if he could play for a team other than the Raiders (perish the thought) it would be the Lions. Then we have this update from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
"While the hiring of Super Bowl winner Pete Carroll was a step toward stability, the Raiders still don't have a franchise quarterback and have a ton of work to do to field a competitive roster. Trading Crosby for a bounty of picks would be one way to expedite that process, and Crosby might welcome the change, particularly if it's to a playoff team where he knows people (e.g. Green Bay)."
The specific mention of the divisional rival Packers certainly sticks out there. But the Lions are also a playoff team, and Crosby has a friend (former Lions offensive tackle T.J. Lang) who's the sideline reporter for Lions' games on the radio.
Crosby definitely knows what he's doing when he posts on social media, and he dropped this on Twitter on Super Bowl Sunday to stir up trade buzz for some people.
So Dope To See The Pistons Ballin Again… Been Too Damn Long💯 @DetroitPistons 🔥🔥🔥
— Maxx Crosby (@CrosbyMaxx) February 9, 2025
Much like Garrett, the cost to trade for Crosby would be high and just like Garrett he has two years left on his contract. But if Crosby were to ask the Raiders for a trade, it also feels like they'd be far more agreeable to it than the Browns have been to this point with Garrett.
1. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Hendrickson asked the Bengals to trade him around draft time last year, but he did not hold his ground and showed up for OTAs with two years left on his contract. Then he went out and led the league with 17.5 sacks, giving him 70.5 sacks over the last five seasons (the last four with the Bengals).
Hendrickson is woefully underpaid ($15.8 million base salary, $200 in total per game roster bonuses in 2025). He is lined up for a big contract, and when he appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" during Super Bowl week he made it very clear he is tired of waiting for the stingy Bengals to take care of him and if a trade happens he'd be fine with that.
"If it's something we can agree on in terms, that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati," Hendrickson said. "If it's something that helps the Bengals win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I'm there or not."
At the Senior Bowl, Bengals general manager Duke Tobin said he wanted to extend Hendrickson and an effort would be made on that front. That was apparently news to Hendrickson.
"I would have preferred to kind of heard it differently than my dad texting me a tweet," Hendrickson said to McAfee. "That would have been great to figure it out that way."
Hendrickson was refreshingly open and candid about his situation, as one might be in the more casual atmosphere of McAfee's show. He has been a Pro Bowler in all four of his seasons in Cincinnati, with at least 14 sacks three times. Now he (rightly) would like to get paid like a top edge rusher in the league, and it feels like he knows the Bengals won't do it.
Yes, trading for Hendrickson would come with giving him a big money contract extension when the Lions will also have to do that with Aidan Hutchinson soon. But such is the cost of doing business in waters like this, and the Bengals' front office is begging to be fleeced in a trade as Hendrickson shifts toward being unable to hide how disgruntled he is.
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