The Las Vegas Raiders are in a fascinating spot leading up to the NFL trade deadline. On one hand, they're 4-4 and in the thick of the AFC's postseason race. On the other, the teams they've beaten are the Dolphins, Chargers, Saints and Jets — all teams with two wins or fewer — and their roster doesn't look like one that can even win a playoff game, let alone a Super Bowl.

Given the context of their 4-4 record, should the Raiders really be trade deadline buyers? Not only would I say no, but I'd say that even though Crosby doesn't want to go anywhere and the Raiders probably don't want to move him, he should be dealt if the right offer presents itself. Any of the mock trades below would be good enough to get the Raiders to move on from the star edge rusher.

This Raiders-Cowboys mock trade would send Maxx Crosby to Dallas

Obviously, if the Raiders are going to trade Crosby, they'll need the compensation to be similar to that of the deal they had with the Ravens in the offseason, which netted Las Vegas a pair of first-round picks. This mock trade with the Dallas Cowboys would be strikingly similar to that.

Not only would the Raiders receive a first-round pick from the Packers, who could easily miss the playoffs, but they'd be netting a fourth-round pick this season, a second-round pick in two years, and Malachi Lawrence, a player Dallas just selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. So they wouldn't be getting two firsts, but they'd be getting one, plus a second-rounder and a player who was just picked in the first round. That sounds pretty good in terms of value for Las Vegas.

The question here is whether Dallas would go all-in despite its 3-5 record. That poor record and limited draft capital are why I proposed Dallas hold onto its 2028 first-rounder, but this offer would make a lot of sense for a team starved for defensive help.

This Raiders-Lions mock trade would send Maxx Crosby to Detroit

The mock trade that'd send him to the Detroit Lions would involve two first-round picks, one this season and one next.

This is a hefty price to pay if you're Detroit, but hear me out. The Lions lead the NFL in yards per game and rank third in points. They've scored more points per game than every NFC team. Their offense has been lethal, but even with improved defensive play in the past couple of weeks, the Lions rank in the bottom five in yards allowed and just outside the bottom 10 in points allowed.

The need to add to their defense is abundantly clear. In an ideal world, they'd get a piece to upgrade their secondary, but if they have Aidan Hutchinson and Crosby rushing opposing quarterbacks, would their secondary even matter much? It'd be hard to envision opposing quarterbacks being able to throw the ball. As for the Raiders, even if these first-rounders project to be later in the first round, getting two firsts for Crosby, as they were set to in the offseason, makes a lot of sense.

This Raiders-49ers mock trade would send Maxx Crosby to San Francisco

You can argue that the San Francisco 49ers should be the most aggressive Maxx Crosby suitor. Not only were they so close to the Super Bowl last season, but they're 6-1 this season despite recording just 15 sacks, a mark that has them in the bottom 10 in the NFL. Nick Bosa's injury woes have a lot to do with that, but this team could use an edge rusher even with a healthy Bosa.

And given how good they are, they should be willing to pay up for it. That means giving up two first-round picks for an edge rusher with control like Crosby, and potentially even a bit more if needed, like moving back from the third round to the fifth round. Ultimately, while it's never ideal to have to enter drafts without high picks, it's not as if the Niners have nailed their recent first-round picks, and they're also in a position to go all-in.

This would be worthwhile compensation for the Niners to part with, given that they'd be getting a player of Crosby's caliber, and from the Raiders' perspective, the first-rounders will probably be late, but they're firsts, and they'd be getting a third-rounder as well. This is good value.