Giants tied to a tantalizing Maxx Crosby trade idea that would give their defense a massive boost
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr floated a deal that sends the Raiders edge defender to New York, with one familiar name potentially heading the other way.
The New York Giants are not the first team that comes to mind as a trade partner for Las Vegas Raiders edge defender Maxx Crosby. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr made the case anyway. In a column on dream trades he’d like to see before the NFL trade deadline, Orr pitched a scenario that sends Crosby to New York and admitted the Giants may seem like an unorthodox fit.
This is not a report. It is a hypothetical from Orr, not a sign of active talks. Still, his idea includes a specific wrinkle about how the Giants could make the math work:
“I wonder if including Kayvon Thibodeaux in the deal could offset some of the cost.”
The Raiders already traded Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens during the offseason. Baltimore then backed out of the deal after Crosby failed his medical exams, which sent him back to Las Vegas.
Crosby is still playing like an elite edge defender
Crosby is 29 years old, and he is still playing at a high level. He has 37 pressures and an 86.2 defensive grade, according to PFF. He also remains a solid run defender, which has been true throughout his career.
His workload stands out more than anything. Edge defender is a position that naturally rotates often, but Crosby rarely comes off the field. He has already played 412 snaps this year, and he has five NFL seasons with at least 900 snaps, including two with more than 1,000. Few players at the position can match that volume.
For New York, the fit starts with Abdul Carter, who is part of the team’s long-term plans on the edge. Brian Burns won’t play again this season because of a season-ending knee injury, but he’s expected back next year. Pairing Carter with Crosby would be an intriguing combination. If the Giants could acquire Crosby with draft picks and cap space, without sending Thibodeaux, they would once again have one of the best edge groups in the NFL.
Orr also argues the move could help the Giants stay alive in the NFC East race. J.J. McCarthy has given New York some hope of competing in a weak division, even though the Dallas Cowboys are now seen as the favorites to win it.
The Thibodeaux question
Thibodeaux is four years younger than Crosby. He is also in the final year of his deal, playing under the fifth-year option. That contract situation is the reason Orr’s idea has some logic: New York would swap an expiring piece for a player under contract for multiple seasons.
The problem is that the swap doesn’t solve the Giants’ depth issue on the edge. Moving Thibodeaux to land Crosby replaces one starter with another. Crosby is a much better player than Thibodeaux, so the Giants would still get an upgrade, but the room would remain thin with Burns out.
A hefty contract to absorb
The financial side is where this gets difficult. Crosby is making a $30 million base salary in 2026, so a deadline trade would require the Giants to absorb roughly $15 million in cap space this season, half of his base salary.
He is also set to make $29.782 million in 2027, $27.282 million in 2028, and $28.212 million in 2029. Only the 2027 salary is guaranteed, though, after it became fully guaranteed this offseason. The 2028 and 2029 seasons essentially function as team options.
New York has only $7.5 million in cap space at the moment. Therefore, fitting Crosby’s contract would likely require restructuring other players’ deals to create room on the books, unless the Raiders are willing to absorb part of the remaining salary for extra draft compensation.
That’s a big investment for a 29-year-old. On the other hand, Crosby is still an impactful player at a premium position, and the back end of his deal gives a team flexibility after 2027.
A trade like this is not likely, and Orr never presented it as anything more than a scenario he’d love to see. For Giants fans, though, the idea of Crosby lining up across from Carter is an exciting one, even if the path to making it happen runs through a crowded cap sheet and a tough decision on Thibodeaux.
