With a restructuring on the Detroit Lions' part, the team could potentially land Maxx Crosby in a trade this offseason.
And, if you're reading this first thing in the morning and wondering, "why on Earth are we still talking about Crosby to the Lions when he's headed to the Baltimore Ravens?," we've got some catching up to do!
The Ravens suddenly took back their deal with the Las Vegas Raiders just one day before the official start to the 2026 league year, sending the entire league into a frenzy. Reportedly, Crosby failed his physical with the Ravens, which is a bit awkward considering he had been in Baltimore awaiting the deal becoming official.
With that in mind, the Lions are back on the table for his services. And, he could be had for far lower of a price than two first-rounders. So, for fun, let's relitigate a mock trade we had done just one month ago, when the stove was extremely hot.
Lions mock draft gets revisited after bombshell Ravens decision
Back in February, we pieced together a move that could open some cap room for the Lions to take on Crosby's contract, and would still send the Raiders a starter in addition to some picks:
McNeill is currently supplying a $28.96 million cap hit to the Lions, while Crosby's hit would be $35.79 million for the 2026 season. Trading one for the other would leave the Lions with an additional hit of about $6.83 million with the addition of Crosby.
Of course, Detroit still has the option to do a contract restructuring to clear money for this to work. Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jared Goff are all decent options on this front.
With Goff, his restructuring alone could open up just over $42 million in cap space, which Detroit could use to absorb Crosby's cap hit, as well as making their recent signings in free agency work. In this case, them being cheaper to begin the negotiation period would work out nicely for them, because they're not in the same pickle that the Raiders are in now with their cap space.
READ MORE: Lions Free-Agency Tracker 2026: Signings, departures, cap space analysis, and more
As for the picks, it probably punts the Lions' chances at a starting tackle in the draft parting with that first rounder. But, they've got the ability to take a backup in the second round, if that's their hangup.
Crosby takes a swing at the Lions' cap space beyond 2026, though, which could complicate that restructuring. So, the money could be the sticking point here rather than the picks or parting with McNeill. Kicking the can down the road for a potentially very-injured Crosby doesn't scream "Brad Holmes move," but it's fun to dream.
This is a really, really decent package if you're Las Vegas. Considering the newly discovered issues with Crosby's physical, a cheap deal for him could be worth asking about.