For the Bucs, Christmas may have come a day late. Fox Sports Insider Jay Glazer reported the day after Christmas that Maxx Crosby, one of the best edge rushers in the NFL over the past five years is unhappy with how the Raiders are handling him at the end of this season.

Scoopage: Raiders told Maxx Crosby they want to shut him down last two games. Crosby, who has played with injuries for much of the year, vehemently disagreed and has left the building @nflonfox has learned. This could lead to questions on his future in Vegas

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 26, 2025

The Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL and Crosby is without a doubt the best player on their team. He turns 29 just before next season starts and has been battling a myriad of injuries this year. It makes sense that the team would rather not risk further risk his health in an effort to have him at his best next season.

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Photo by: USA Today

But Crosby has a warrior’s mentality, and if he feels like he can play he doesn’t want to give up the opportunity, no matter how little his team has to play for in the grand scheme. It’s part of the reason why he logged over 900 snaps in each season from 2019-2023 and again this year. He just doesn’t come off the field unless he’s physically unable play.

What Does This Mean For The Bucs?

Tampa Bay has been looking for a true No. 1 pass rusher since Shaq Barrett suffered a torn Achilles in 2022. Yaya Diaby has shown himself to be a capable starter but has failed to finish sacks with enough consistency to be that guy. Haason Reddick, a 31-year old edge rusher who signed a one-year, $14 million deal this offseason, was supposed to elevate the Bucs’ four-man pass rush, but injuries and age have hampered those hopes.

The team is still in search of their alpha. Maxx Crosby would be a dream scenario and then some. He has 44.5 sacks since 2022. All of the Bucs outside linebackers have combined for 64 sacks over that same time period. If general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles are serious about truly elevating the pass rush with a special player, and Crosby becomes available because of a falling out with Las Vegas’ decision-makers, then the Bucs should be all-in on getting Crosby to Tampa Bay.

What It Would Take To Trade For Maxx Crosby

Just a few short months ago the Packers gave up two first-round picks, plus a starting defensive tackle for Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons. Parsons is one of the three best pass rushers in the NFL. Headed into 2026, Crosby will be three years older than Parsons was at the time of his trade and a notch below in production and ceiling.

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby – Photo by: USA Today

But Crosby comes with a more manageable price tag. Not including per game roster bonuses, he is owed just $30 million in cash in 2026 and $29 million in 2027. Beyond that his salary is not guaranteed. The Packers extended Parsons after acquiring him, at a cost of just over $41 million per year in cash over the course of his guaranteed years.

Assuming the Bucs think Crosby will be able to play at a high level through 2028, his overall value – contract included – is about $110 million. Assuming Tampa Bay picks around 20th overall in each of the next two seasons, the value of their next two first-round picks is about $116 million. This works well within the context of the Parsons trade as it would be 2/3 of the assets Green Bay gave up.

Cash Considerations

The next question that is often brought up for a proposal like this is “Do the Bucs have the cap space to trade for Maxx Crosby?”

The short answer is yes. Over The Cap currently has the Bucs’ salary cap space for 2026 at just under $36 million. In order to acquire Crosby along with other expected moves they would need to restructure a couple of deals, but they could easily create the space and then restructure Crosby’s 2026 base salary to create even more room.

The long answer, as I have long said, is that the cap matters very little. It is the cash impact that fans should be more concerned with. Because that is what the Bucs will most have to budget for.

Tampa Bay, for the most part, ties its actual cash spending to the NFL salary cap. Right now, I have that number projected at $305 million. If the Bucs acquire Crosby, they would be committing just over 10% of their cash budget to one player. That would be in addition these other significant cash commitments:

• QB Baker Mayfield – $40 million
• LT Tristan Wirfs – $26 million
• RT Luke Goedeke – $22 million
• WR Chris Godwin – $22 million
• S Antoine Winfield Jr. – $19.5 million
• NT Vita Vea – $18 million
• CB Zyon McCollum – $14.594 million

That’s just under $193 million for eight players. That doesn’t include free agent receiver Mike Evans who will need to be re-signed for around $17.5 million. In all, the Bucs have around $216 million in cash commitments for 2026 before accounting for Crosby and Evans.

Add those two in and the team would be at a projected $264 million for 41 players. Add in their draft class and filling out the rest of the 53-man roster and they would be bumping up against $300 million in cash. That wouldn’t leave much room left to add more talent at linebacker or cornerback.

This move would also likely mean the team punts on an extension for quarterback Baker Mayfield, allowing him to play out the final year of his current contract. In addition, they would also shelve potential extensions for right guard Cody Mauch and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, both of whom would be entering a contract year in 2026.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

While all of this is doable, it wouldn’t leave the team with enough wiggle room to make the additional free agency pickups they likely need to fill out the roster with the defensive needs the team will be in search of. Licht and his team would most likely need the Glazers to commit to a 5-10% boost in their spending budget to afford Crosby plus the ancillary moves that a trade for him would bely.

But they should do it.

If Crosby is available, Licht should lean on the relationship he cultivated with Raiders general manager John Spytek during Spytek’s nine years working with Licht. The Bucs defense needs a star to elevate the collection of solid players they currently have.

And Maxx Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowler, is that star.