They were so close.
For the better part of the last NFL season, the Lions were *the* hypothetical trade target for Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. After losing, like, literally every starter on the defensive side of the ball last season, mortgaging the future to bring in Crosby for a playoff run felt almost defensible.
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It, of course, didn't happen, and it's not like Lions fan's need to be reminded what happened. But with the Raiders still nowhere near contention – especially in the AFC West, of all divisions – the idea that Crosby could still wind up in Detroit persisted even after the season ended.
Unfortunately, Pete Carroll closed the book on that idea. During his Very-On-Brand introductory press conference as the Raiders new head coach, Carroll definitively put an end to the speculation that this new ("new") Raiders era was going to go forward without their best player.
Pete Carroll seemingly ruins Lions fan's dreams of trading for Maxx Crosby
"Maxx, send the message, man" Carroll said on Monday afternoon. "We're coming after you. We're going to come find you guys, and get this thing rolling as soon as possible. With the highest of expectations and with a mentality that will drive high performance in a way that, hopefully, everyone's going to hear us. And they're going to know us."
Wellllll. It was fun while it lasted, I guess. And maybe this is all just performative bluffing to try and get another couple Day 2 picks out of the inevitable Draft Night trade, but I'm not so sure. This certainly sounds like a guy who's planning on coaching Crosby in 2025 and beyond. It'd be weird to have Crosby in attendence, and then to talk directly at him, only to turn around and trade him a few months later. Stranger things have happened – and it is the Raiders, after all – but even that's a stretch.
So for now, at least, your Crosby-Aiden Hutchinson combo dreams have to stay in your Madden franchise. But don't let that stop you from willing it into existence. That's what Pete Carroll wants you to do.