Maxx Crosby trade collapses: Why Cowboys unlikely to pursue Raiders star

The biggest move of the 2026 NFL offseason collapsed Tuesday night when the Baltimore Ravens backed out of sending two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Crosby had knee surgery in January, but Baltimore chose to nix the deal for medical reasons. 

A number of teams had initial interest in Crosby, including the Dallas Cowboys. However, Dallas wasn’t willing to part with multiple first-round picks to get the deal done like Baltimore initially was. 

So, will the Cowboys reenter trade negotiations with the Raiders? 

At this stage, it appears too late. NFL Media initially reported Dallas would still be interested in a Crosby trade, but ensuing reports from The Athletic, ESPN and others indicated Dallas won’t pursue Crosby after trading for Pro Bowler Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. 

Had the Cowboys been interested in getting back into the Crosby sweepstakes, it would have been easy to ditch Gary if a deal were struck with Las Vegas. There isn’t any guaranteed money remaining on Gary’s contract, so cutting him would net the Cowboys $19.5 million in salary cap savings, per Over the Cap. Dallas doing so would obviously be unlikely, as it would mean lighting a fourth-round pick in the loaded 2027 NFL Draft class on fire.

The Cowboys will enter the new league year Wednesday with a reworked defensive line featuring three former first-round picks: Gary (12th overall in 2019 by the Packers), three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark (27th overall in 2016 by the Packers) and four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (third overall in 2019 by the Jets).

They also have defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, whose 112 quarterback pressures are the fourth-most among defensive tackles since 2024, along with 2025 second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku.

After whiffing in pursuit of linebacker Nakobe Dean, who agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Raiders, Dallas still has a gaping hole at linebacker next to DeMarvion Overshown. The Cowboys also need a reliable nickel corner to fill the void left by Jourdan Lewis’ free agency departure last year to the Jaguars.

All moves around the NFL become official at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday at the start of the new league year.