Maxx Crosby “Would Be Perfect” For Bucs To Make A Splash
February 7th, 2026
ESPN links Bucs with star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Well, given who typed the following, this very much has Joe’s antennae standing straight.
This morning Dianna Russini of The Athletic typed that while publicly, Las Vegas star pass rusher Maxx Crosby stated he is on good terms with the Raiders, privately, league sources tell Russini, Crosby’s attitude is rather different.
Crosby, who had knee surgery last month, was peeved that the Raiders benched him in the final two games of the season, in part to save Crosby’s knee from further damage and in part to secure the No. 1 overall selection in April’s draft. They are expected to grab Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
Joe thinks that was very smart by Las Vegas, even if it did give Crosby heartburn.
Because of this alleged friction, many Bucs fans have Crosby dancing through their sleeping heads. Joe does too, but Joe also wakes up and has very serious doubts.
Enter Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Fowler is about as well-connected of a reporter in the NFL as there is. That includes the Bucs. For example, two years ago, Fowler wrote a piece that the Bucs were shopping both Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean and the Bucs’ goal was to unload one of the two.
Days later, Davis was shipped to Detroit.
So, in typing about 28-year-old Crosby, Fowler invoked the Bucs as a team to watch if Las Vegas does put Crosby on the trade block.
One team that typically doesn’t jump in these high-stakes waters but would be perfect to try: the Buccaneers. This is the type of move that would put Tampa Bay over the top.
So why is Fowler so assertive about the Bucs? Joe will let you do the math.
Joe has read people on social media saying the Bucs would cough up two first-round picks for Crosby. That seems absurd to Joe, unless the Raiders redo his contract and eat a good chunk of it. Crosby is due $30 million this year and is under contract through 2029 when Crosby will be 31.
To envision Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht trading two first-round picks for a damaged-good guy who is 28 with a massive contract seems way over the top for Joe.
There is sort of precedent for Licht pulling off a similar deal. In Joe’s mind, the turnaround of the Bucs from The Lost Decade to Super Bowl champs did not start with the hiring of Bucco Bruce Arians or the signing of Tom Brady. No, the turning of the page began when Licht absolutely stole Jason Pierre-Paul from the Giants for a third-round pick. JPP had two years left on his expensive contract at the time of the trade.
And two years after the trade, JPP and the Bucs hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory in the thick Tampa night air.
While Crosby has played in a 34 defense, Joe sure hopes Todd Bowles would use him much more for the very reason he might get to Canton someday: rushing the friggin’ passer.
Is Joe dubious this Crosby trade would ever happen? Yes. But a man can still dream free, right?
February 7th, 2026 at 3:05 pm
If the Bucs had a credible DC, such a trade would be top notch BUT as things are, it would be a wasted trade….
February 7th, 2026 at 3:06 pm
I don’t think Maxx Crosby is going anywhere…but I also do not think Licht is dumb enough to pay two firsts. 1 maybe.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:07 pm
@Tye
Not true. He used Suh and JPP properly.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:11 pm
It would be a nice pick for the right price, the money left and questions about the knee are legit. If the Bucs could do a JPP trade, say a 3rd or later and take over his contract, massage it a bit then that’s great but the Bucs need more than just Crosby to be successful on defense going forward and that only happens in the draft and maybe a few other FA signings, maybe the Seahawks guy makes sense? And to wait seems prudent, you never know what can happen draft night, who slides. I say we AI some guys in smoke masks to better our chances in the draft, LOL.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Maybe if the bucs were a pass rusher away from fixing the defense but they are far from that they need a lot and they need some pieces for the offense as well. Bucs were having a time of it when the teams were trying to hand them the division now Todd will have to try and earn it lmao yeah right it’s a bucs life. Go bucs.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:23 pm
5 years ago today.. Surprised Joe missed a trick there
February 7th, 2026 at 3:24 pm
Patience grasshopper.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:26 pm
I fully support this move…in fact suggested it in these parts. Put him opposite YaYa and he’s a motivated Maxx. Licht shouldn’t worry about trading away draft picks. If they circle the drain…he likely won’t and shouldn’t be around to worry about lack of picks next season. In fact…getting Maxx might save the current regime.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:27 pm
Todd has proven that he doesn’t need a pass rush. His defense has been powerful without one. Save the draft picks and sign those versatile players who can play all positions every snap.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:27 pm
@Tye
If Todd had the talent from the Brady SB team his defense would be excellent I suspect.
We’re probably 2 good drafts away from having enough D talent to catch up to the offense.
But by all means, don’t let the truth get in the way of your opinion.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Let’s just pay a top FA….don’t need to give up picks
February 7th, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Jaguars gonna get him. Who are we kidding, Licht prioritizes draft picks over everything else.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
The Giants gave up a 2nd and 5th for Brian Burns
That’s the type of trade Licht should be looking for
Two 1st for Maxx Crosby is absurd and laughable
February 7th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
Unless JL nails the draft and FA, this season will be ugly with Bowles at thr wheel. He’s delusional when it comes to his roster, scheme and his ability to evaluate talent. This is the guy that told us fans that ILber was the teams deepest position.
I’d rather JL focus on BPA and add some FA that him and his scouts like, while keeping Bowles in closet.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Meh, what it would take to get Crosby hear is too rich for our situation.
We can get John Franklin-Meyers to play inside/out for less money. That’s a Logan Hall replacement and 4-Man front bookend without the hassle
February 7th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
NOPE. This Bucs team is not worthy enough, and it’s not worth taking future assets and resources away from their next Head Coach and GM. This ownership bunch will have a hard enough time as it is with trying to persuade and land a ‘top-tier’ HC and GM. So, they can’t afford it while heading towards a complete roster overhaul and rebuild. I guess they could go ahead and do it, then turn right back around, cut their losses and recoup the picks at the trade deadline, when they’re sitting there at 2-6. THIS is NOT a Super Bowl Contender, or anything even close. Crosby is a “Super Bowl” type of move. The Bucs have to get YOUNGER, and HUNGRIER. Period. End of Story. So, STOP. It AIN’T Happenin. Get it outta your mind. I guess this is just going to be “Reddick 2.0” then, for the entire offseason (with random after midnight posts about Crosby and EDGE-Rushers EVERY NIGHT). Crosby does NOTHING for the Bucs chances in the grand scheme of things, and can ONLY hurt them and hold them back i the longterm. This current Bucs team under their current “leadership,” is going absolutely NOWHERE. 💯
February 7th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
Can Maxx play cover 3?
Serious, dude will get paid and kill his potential HoF career with the worst defense in the league.
No worries though, Jason will never give up any of his future Licht’s Losers draft picks. Too valuable. Need more undersized, injury prone, small college, out of position, church going friends of Todd Bowles on this team.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
Crosby does not want to play for a coach with no nads, and a sleepy demeanor.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:05 pm
I say we get John Franklin-Meyers, Devin Bush, Algiers and a vet corner in Free Agency and trade our first (but no more) for Crosby. Trade up into the early 2nd round and get Jacob Rodriguez. Fill in the rest of the draft with best players available and we’re set. Wish it were that easy.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:07 pm
Give up the #15 overall pick this season then also your Top-5/Top-10 pick in next season’s “all-time” LOADED draft-class. Yeah, that’d be REAL SMART. When, you didn’t EVEN TRY for Micah Parsons. It would just be a total WASTE for a BAD team. They better be looking towards the future. If they happened to shock the world and get off to another hot start, then they can become “BUYERS” at the next deadline then. Rather than “SELLERS.” There is no hurry. They have plenty of time to hold, let it play out, and THEN see what happens. There will be plenty of moves and decisions to make when the time comes much later. For right now, you roll with what you got, keep your cap TIGHT, and just ride it out in ‘wait and see’ mode. They have to PROVE that they can ‘win’ FIRST, before giving them ANYTHING extra. Bottomline. You KEEP those picks and you KEEP that cap in a great spot, in order to help lure ‘top-tier’ level TALENTS at GM and HC. Cause, they’re gonna need all the help THEY CAN GET.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:09 pm
Or sign Hendrickson in free agency for zero draft picks. You know, whatever.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:11 pm
How is he in past coverage lol
February 7th, 2026 at 4:11 pm
Pass.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:12 pm
Mort,
Why not both? Sign Hendrickson in FA AND trade for Crosby. Let’s get ferocious.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:13 pm
Very funny Ricky it is very sobering as a Bucs fan that no matter what’s happened personnel wise with the defense in the off-season it’s hard to get excited at knowing who’s still gonna be calling the shots and pulling the strings Putid pass defense. Why did he get to keep his job again?
February 7th, 2026 at 4:17 pm
Mort Says:
February 7th, 2026 at 4:09 pm
Or sign Hendrickson in free agency for zero draft picks. You know, whatever.
👆🏻
I was beating this drum a lot last season ( via a trade ). I believe he’s from Florida and was great with the Saints and was great with the Bengals. He got injured/hurt feelings in 2025 and had a Hassan Reddick-like throw away year. It makes me leery…he’s north of 30 and could very well be washed.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:23 pm
Hes going to Baltimore,Maybe a buc if tod wasn’t there ,sorry chuck its the thought that counts!
February 7th, 2026 at 4:26 pm
A team who has LOST 7 out of their last 9-GAMES with THAT weak ass schedule, then decides to offer up TWO Top-15 PICKS, would be absolutely ABSURD. It would be delusional. Or, intentional sabotage. The Glazers would have to step in at that point, and put the brakes on that! That next years pick could potentially be a Top-5 PICK very easily, by the time you “SELL-OFF” everything at the deadline. I mean, you’re talking a TOP-3 PICK with Manning, Moore, & Jeremiah Smith at the top of the class. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY, that you can trade that pick. So what if you have an aging, banged-up ‘top-of-the-market’ EDGE-Rusher, who’s heading into the backend of his career, and on a BAD TEAM. 💯
February 7th, 2026 at 4:30 pm
N̈o oft injured players please! Maybe a 3rd year or 4th year player who has experience and energy but plays the whole year.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Petaluma the brake Joe. Max came out after Glazers comments and said he has no desire to leave LV. Another bs insider news from the glazer
February 7th, 2026 at 5:03 pm
Wizards of smart are saying it won’t be 2 #1’s, will be lesser, maybe a 1 this year and 2 or 3 next year….I’d be FOR that I spose
February 7th, 2026 at 5:28 pm
What you gotta ask is this. The number 15 pick this year better than max crosby? Who cares if yiu throw a third next year. I guarantee we arent getting a guy like him at 15. You do it. Amd sogn him to a restructuring deal and make sure his knee is ok. If burns was a second and fifth you pull that trade all day. Especially off a injury.
February 7th, 2026 at 6:02 pm
Yea. We gotta learn how to play defense before we can get any good free agents. Good luck with that. So sad but it’s probably gonna take a few years with this staff. These days the successful coaches are fired up and have positive energy. It starts up top but we don’t have that right now. BA was older but had that fire inside and no risk it no biscuit mentality. I could see in Bakes face coming from the tunnel this year looking troubled and not a his self. I don’t know if it was from injury, bad coaching, off field issues? Whatever, don’t worry about it….
JUST FIX IT
February 7th, 2026 at 6:09 pm
not himself lol
February 7th, 2026 at 6:26 pm
Ufc Says:
“What you gotta ask is this…”
Does he actually WANT to leave? Because by all accounts, he doesn’t.
February 7th, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Crosby posted that he isn’t even thinking about leaving.
February 7th, 2026 at 6:29 pm
Besides…he’s injury prone.
February 7th, 2026 at 6:36 pm
Thought he wants to go to a contender
February 7th, 2026 at 6:40 pm
@melvinjr – Preach brother preach. Licht should be handcuffed so that the next GM has everything available to him after bozo and licht are fired.
February 7th, 2026 at 6:41 pm
I love Crosby but with so many holes, I think signing a FA without giving up the picks helps build that line and front 7. Need more than just 1 guy. Sign and draft an edge gives you 3 potentially good pas rushers and allows them to draft ILB early rounds as well
February 7th, 2026 at 7:26 pm
We need a “dog” on this team which Crosby is. Watching the Raise the Flags documentary showed how getting someone like Sapp, who was a locker room enforcer, turned this team around. If it’s not Crosby then they need to find a “bad ass” in the draft who will help change the culture.
February 7th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
If you’re going to give away two first round picks, use them to move up in the draft.
February 7th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Sign a veteran edge, trade a late round pick for a reclamation project at edge, and draft LB and DL
February 7th, 2026 at 7:58 pm
If Bowles wasn’t running the defense. I really like Todd but he is too frcking stubborn. We would be wasting Crosby.
February 7th, 2026 at 8:00 pm
But I would love that too happen. Two first round picks? At least Gruden wasn’t coming off surgery.
February 7th, 2026 at 8:22 pm
Maxx Crosby wants to play for a winning team. The Bucs were 8-9 in the weakest division in football. They have a terrible defense and a terrible Head Coach that runs said defense. Unless Crosby has CTE or has never seen the Bucs defense, he doesn’t want to come here.
February 7th, 2026 at 8:59 pm
Getting one DE isnt putting this defense over the top. They shouldn’t be spending any big free agency money on the Bowles defense. Get enough players to fill out the defensive roster and then pray the offense gets on track.
Watching a $30 million dollar DE that cost multiple 1st round picks drop into coverage so an over priced CB can play zone 10 yards deep on a 3rd and 4 will cause the fan base to lose their collective minds.
You wanna see a defensive player on this team actually be able to rush the QB? Just keep drafting defensive backs and off ball LBers, because unless Bowles is three deep with starters across the board, Bowles will turtle up after the first injury in the back seven and play soft zone all game long.
February 7th, 2026 at 9:01 pm
…and there is no way this current regime should be allowed to trade future draft capital.
February 7th, 2026 at 9:45 pm
There is no way that Jason Licht will give up multiple premium draft picks for an aging defense pass rushing end with a bum knee. That would be a fireable offense. Thinking if I Know how Jason Liicht operates, he looks at draft picks like gold. I for one appreciate that about him.
February 7th, 2026 at 11:03 pm
I love me some Maxx Crosby….But HELL TO THE NO on trading away (2) 1st + other draft capital and a PTBNL….Giving LV a deal better than/= to what GB paid DAL for Parsons. Leave that for some other fool organization.
Licht should focus on finding Edge pieces in FA…I would pound table for the FO to go sign:
1) Azeez Ojulari – 2yrs/$7.5-8M (~$2.5M on 2026 cap = Barrett Lite – reclamation project…Reddick roster spot replacement)
2) Jadeveon Clowney – 2yrs/$13M (~$5M on 2026 cap – JPP clone)
3a) K’Lavon Chassion – 4yrs/$38M (~$7.5M on 2026 cap)…or
3b) Boye Mafe – 3yrs/$27 ($6.5M on 2026 cap)
If the FO did the 3 above for ~$15M in 2026 cap space, while not breaking the cap in future years…Licht would immediately refurbish the Bucs edge rush, more than surpass Crosby’s expected sack totals while spending 1/2 the money/cap space of Crosby’s contract.
(1) Ojulari (25) coming of a injury riddled yr in PHI – (Hamstring)…But could be penciled in for 6 sacks minimum if healthy & playing ~40% of pass rush snaps.
(2) Clowney (33) had 9 sacks in DAL in 2025 playing 32% of DEF plays. (JPP role)…Just let the man hunt!
(3a) Chassion (26) is coming off his breakout 8 sack yr in NE after playing 58% of snaps.
(3b) Mafe (27) fell out of favor & had lower production than expected in SEA (only starting 4 games – but getting >58% of snaps) but combined for 15 sacks over 2023-2024 seasons.
If you add options 1 & 2…Great, Bucs only spend $7.5M on 2026 cap, Anthony Nelson stays in a reserve role & Braswell fights for a last OLB roster spot with David Walker….Licht doesn’t need to chase an edge in the Draft, where he has failed to hit gold numerous times.
If you add 3 of the above…Nelson becomes pre-draft Trade or Cut candidate along with Braswell & Walker battling it out for last OLB spot. (Nelson probable has best chance to be traded for late Day 3 pick, but cutting him would also save $1.9M in cap space (pre-June 1) or $4.5M as a post-June 1 cut)…Cutting Braswell saves about $1.2M.
That money saved helps pay down the cost of making those moves…& makes the FO business case for making the moves even easier to justify – with real world return on investment data to project against.
February 7th, 2026 at 11:37 pm
Not sure the picks required to land Crosby are worth it but I wouldn’t mind us trading a mid round pick for Mayers their TE or trading with the Bears for Kmet
February 8th, 2026 at 2:27 am
It is telling that the Bucs are only promoting a couple of holdover D-coaches. It doesn’t appear top-tier LB or D-line coaches want anything to do with TB defense. They know it’s a fool’s errand and are not going to move their family to Tampa for a season. While TB is liked by ownership, reality seems to be it just ain’t working in Tampa Bay. Crosby? Never happen. We’re stuck with Tier-3 backups as starters. That is on JL.
February 8th, 2026 at 3:09 am
Braswell and a 1st.
February 8th, 2026 at 5:03 am
@Tom Petty: nailed it.
February 8th, 2026 at 7:13 am
Braswell has a negative value, partly because the coach doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Recent news on James Pearce of the Falcons. 😬
February 9th, 2026 at 9:09 am
raiders should really let crosby go because he hasn’t helped them win a single game of late…
they are the absolute worst thing ever…
and crosby hasn’t changed things over there one iota…
spytek literally walked into quicksand over there and will get canned sooner than later…
he’s the fall guy, not tommy b…
he should probably hook up the bucs, so he has some friends and a place to go once that bowl haircut fella cuts him lose in a year or so…
spytek needs to think about his future…and olive branch…by giving away maxx fuzzby 🙂