Potential Patriots-Maxx Crosby Trade Is Very Realistic

The New England Patriots became the favorite to land superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders after it was revealed during Super Bowl week that Crosby told insiders he would like to play for head coach Mike Vrabel.

Now, I’d like to do a lot of things, but that isn’t necessarily grounds for a $106.5 million move.

But when analyzing the proposed trade further, the odds that Crosby could be traded to the Patriots increase.

Crosby signed a three-year extension with the Raiders less than a year ago. That deal was supposed to keep him in black and silver until 2029. However, since he was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he has played for five different coaches in two different cities.

That sort of turnover can really soil a player’s relationship with an organization.

Insiders have also speculated that the final nail in the coffin came this year when Crosby was benched for the remainder of the year in a move that indicated the team was committed to tanking for Fernando Mendoza.

NBC Sports Boston’s Albert Breer said Tuesday on “Early Edition” that the relationship is damaged beyond repair.

“He feels betrayed, and I think that there is this feeling, ‘I’m 28 years old, they didn’t do right by me, so now it’s time for me to go find a way to win,'” Breer said. “The communication of it got fouled up. And a lot of people in that building report to Alex Guerrero now, and Alex is seen as the eyes and ears of Tom Brady internally, so there is some fence-mending that would have to happen there.”

The Raiders organization that Crosby was drafted to no longer exists. They are ushering in a new era with a new head coach and a new front office. Loyalty gets you far in the NFL, but at this point, nobody would fault the All-Pro for wanting a fresh start.

The Patriots have MVP runner-up Drake Maye on a rookie deal and the cash to spend. If there was ever a time to go for a 28-year-old phenom, it’s now.

“My understanding is there are a bunch of contenders that have already at least signaled interest,” Breer said. “I think the Patriots will be one of them, and I would say that for that player in particular, Mike Vrabel is a draw. They have somebody on staff in Josh McDaniels, who coached him.

“There’s some scheme fit stuff there too, which, who isn’t Maxx Crosby a scheme fit for? It would make a lot of sense, so if there was somebody that I think they could trade for, I think Maxx would be it.”