Some thought it was a pipe dream to begin with, while others have bought into the idea of it being a possibility. Regardless of which side of the fence one would fall on, there’s no question that the thought of the Bucs trading for Las Vegas Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby has been a top storyline this offseason in Tampa Bay.
It’s certainly the biggest story regarding a non-Bucs player that the team might consider pursuing, and probably second or third behind what Mike Evans will decide to do this offseason, and if the Bucs will look to extend the contract of quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Bucs’ Chances For Maxx Crosby Go Down
Those hopes about Maxx Crosby to the Bucs may have been dashed, though, while on the first day of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Raiders general manger John Spytek, spoke at the podium on Tuesday morning and said he anticipates Maxx Crosby will be with the Raiders this season.
“I do, yes,” Spytek asked when the question was raised to him. “Maxx is an elite player and I’ve been very upfront from the start when I got here that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them. It’s hard to build a great team without elite players.”
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Eric Hartline
Spytek went on to talk about his relationship with Crosby after one year of being the Raiders general manager. It appears that it’s in a good place.
“Maxx and I have a great relationship,” Spytek said. “He’s in the building every day getting healthy right now. We talk on the phone, we text. So, I have a great relationship with Maxx. Maxx and I have had great conversations, I’m comfortable there.”
Current Bucs OLBs Not Enough For A Consistent Pass Rush
The Bucs are very much in pursuit of a No. 1 outside linebacker to bolster the room. It’s been a struggle trying to find a premier edge rusher in recent seasons and Tampa Bay hasn’t had that type of player since the days of Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett in their prime. The Bucs took a gamble on signing Haason Reddick to a one-year deal last season, but he recorded just 2.5 sacks in 13 games.
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby has been solid player on the edge and is coming off a seven sack year in his third season. He’s better slated as an OLB2, though, to compliment the top edge rusher. The depth behind Diaby doesn’t really stand out either.
Former second-round pick Chris Braswell looks to be a bust after two seasons, playing even less last year than he did entering the league. Anthony Nelson is fine as an OLB4, and in a best case scenario would be fifth-stringer. He’s made some clutch plays in his career, including last season, although he’s not an every-down player from a consistency standpoint.
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
The wild card in all of this is last year’s fourth-round pick, David Walker. He was expected to be a factor in the Bucs outside linebacker plans a season ago, but he tore his ACL early into training camp and never even made it to wearing full pads.
Walker becomes almost like a redshirt player this season. Yet coming off of a big injury like that and having no NFL experience, it makes the trajectory of his second season difficult to forecast. If Tampa Bay were to put all its eggs in Walker’s basket, that would be a huge mistake. That’s why finding a proven pass rusher is still very important.
Is Bucs G.M. Jason Licht Open To Trading?
Jason Licht typically doesn’t like to trade draft capital and he’s never really made a blockbuster trade yet in his 13 years as an NFL general manager, but he may
make an exception this time around. He seemed more open to it this year while speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
“I’m not opposed,” Licht said. “I wouldn’t say that it’s in my DNA to refrain from doing those things. It’s got to be right, it’s got to be the right trade, it’s got to be the right player, it’s a lot of factors that go into it. It’s the age of the player, the injury history of the player, what else besides draft capital you have to give up. Once again, talking about [cap] flexibility that we can maintain. So, I’m not opposed to those things. You just have to see where things go.”
Pewter Report recapped all that Licht and head coach Todd Bowles had to say during Tuesday’s Pewter Report Podcast. Check out the episode and subscribe to
our PewterReportTV YouTube channel for more Bucs content.
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