Maxx Crosby Opens Door for Possible Trade, Atlanta Falcons on Alert

“I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win," Crosby told reporters on Thursday. "Whatever that means, but I’m here to win now. Wherever I'm gonna be, I’m gonna be here to win, so that's all that matters to me."

If the Raiders start taking offers for Crosby, the list would be long and distinguished. The bidding would start at two-first round picks, and then it would get expensive. Would the Falcons give up two-first rounders for Crosby?

In a heartbeat.

But it probably woudn't be enough. The Falcons might have to get creative to beat out the likes of the Detroit Lions who are widely thought to be in a Super Bowl window now, but recently lost edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the season. Hutchinson was having a breakout year before going down with a leg injury last week.

The Falcons are 4-2 and sitting on top of the NFC South with a dynamic offense, but employ the league's worst pass rush. They rank last in sacks with just five. Head coach Raheem Morris feels the potential is there, but admits to the team needing significant improvement in that area.

The Falcons defense has compensated for a lack of pass rush with deep coverage schemes, opting to give up plays underneath, including rushing plays, to be strong in coverage on the back end. They're 25th in the NFL against the run as a result.

Very few teams win playoff games by not stopping the run or getting to the quarterback.

Can the Falcons afford Crosby?

Atlanta is $9 million under the salary cap according to Spotrac. Crosby has a $24 million base salary that the Raiders would want to move off the books rather than eat some salary in a potential deal. They won't have to with the amount of bidders they'll have.

So how does that math work?

The Falcons would immediately give Crosby a new contract. This isn't a Hasson Reddick situation who has told two teams already this season that he wouldn't play for them. No team is trading for Reddick and handing him a multi-year deal right away. At least I don't think anyone is that dumb, but you never know.

Crosby is young, and he's a piece the Falcons would want to lock down for several years right away. He's a year younger than Jonathan Abraham when the Falcons dealt for him. Abraham went on to have 68.5 sacks in seven seasons with Atlanta, including 16.5 in 2008, his age-30 season.

So, take his $24-million salary, turn it into a signing bonus, extend him to 5-years with a back-loaded contract, and the Falcons could realistically turn his cap number into $5 million or less for the rest of 2024.

Father time is coming for Jake Matthews and Grady Jarrett. They carry nearly $42 million in cap charges in 2025. There's flexibility there. David Onyemata is 33 with $17-million cap hit in 2025. With an owner like Arthur Blank, the cash to manipulate the salary cap isn't a problem. They key is doing it with young players in their prime, not depreciating assets well past it.

The Falcons need to address their pass rush. Maxx Crosby is the kind of talent that rarely becomes available at his age. Odds are heavily against Atlanta being able to pull off a move. First, the Raiders would need to agree to a trade. Second, they'd have to outbid a host of teams.

The odds are long, no doubt. But Maxx Crosby is telling us there's a chance.

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