GS. The UNTHINKABLE Move the Cowboys Are Weaving to Save Their Season: A Blockbuster Trade for Maxx Crosby is Now ON THE TABLE.

DALLAS – In the high-stakes poker game that is the NFL trade deadline, Jerry Jones has always played his cards close to the vest, often leaving fans wondering if he’s bluffing or just forgot where he put his hand. But with the clock ticking down to Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT cutoff – just 48 hours away – whispers from the league’s shadowy corridors suggest the Dallas Cowboys are plotting a move so audacious, so utterly unthinkable, it could redefine their sputtering 2025 campaign: a blockbuster swap for Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.

Picture this: The Cowboys, clinging to a 4-4 record and nursing a defense that’s leaked more points than a sieve in a hurricane, suddenly unleash Crosby – the 28-year-old wrecking ball with 12 sacks already this season – on an NFC East that’s as wide-open as ever. It’s not just a trade; it’s a seismic shift, a declaration that America’s Team isn’t content with mediocrity. And according to one NFC talent evaluator speaking exclusively to Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein, the door to this deal isn’t slammed shut. It’s cracked open, just waiting for the right bidder to kick it wide.

“I still think for the right price, Crosby could be on the move,” the evaluator confided. “First and a pick swap, most likely.”

If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because Cowboys Nation has spent weeks bracing for sticker shock. The prevailing wisdom? Crosby, the snarling face of the Raiders’ franchise and their undisputed locker-room alpha, would command at least two first-round picks – maybe more, if Las Vegas owner Mark Davis digs in his heels. After all, why wouldn’t he? Crosby’s not just a player; he’s the heartbeat of a Silver and Black identity that’s been battered but never broken.

Yet here we are, on the precipice of a plot twist no one saw coming. The Raiders, stumbling to a dismal 2-6 start with a -77 point differential that’s fourth-worst in the league, are a team adrift. They’ve got a 74-year-old Pete Carroll calling the shots from the sidelines, a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith who’s seen better days, and a No. 6 overall pick sunk into running back Ashton Jeanty – a talent who looks more like a luxury than a lifeline behind the league’s most porous offensive line. Their defense? A patchwork quilt of mediocrity everywhere except the edge, where Crosby stands alone as a beacon of brilliance.

It’s despicable, really. Vegas entered the year with playoff aspirations in a wide-open AFC West, only to watch it all crumble under the weight of poor planning and even poorer execution. A smart front office – one not shackled by nostalgia or half-measures – would hit the reset button. Tear it down. Stockpile picks. Rebuild around youth. And in that chaos lies opportunity for the Joneses, who have the cap space (over $20 million, per Spotrac) and draft capital (a 2026 first-rounder projected in the teens) to make a real splash.

Jerry and Stephen Jones have danced around the idea of bolstering the defense all week, dropping hints in pressers that something is brewing. “We’re active,” Jerry drawled last Thursday, his trademark twinkle masking the calculation beneath. “We see needs, and we’re addressing ’em.” But fans are scarred from last year’s Jonathan Mingo debacle – a mid-tier receiver grab that screamed “optics over impact,” followed by weeks of media spin that left the fan base feeling gaslit.

No more half-measures. Either swing for the fences or sit on your hands. And Crosby? He’s the grand slam waiting to happen.

Why Crosby Fits Like a Glove in Big D

Let’s break it down: Dallas’s pass rush is a ghost story this season. Micah Parsons remains a force of nature, but the supporting cast – DeMarcus Lawrence nursing nagging tweaks, rookie Marshawn Kneeland still green – has left opposing quarterbacks with all the time in the world to dissect Dan Quinn’s secondary. The Cowboys rank 22nd in sacks (18 total) and dead last in pressures per dropback (27.4%, via Next Gen Stats). Enter Crosby, whose relentless motor and 6’5″, 255-pound frame would form an unholy trinity with Parsons and the returning Sam Williams.

Off the field? Crosby’s the vocal leader Dallas desperately needs. In a locker room that’s weathered injuries to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s contract hold-in drama, his fire could ignite a spark. “He’s the guy who holds everyone accountable,” one Raiders source told me off the record. “No nonsense, all heart.” At 28, he’s entering his prime – a long-term anchor for a cap sheet that’s already plotting extensions for Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa.

The math checks out, too. Crosby’s on a team-friendly deal through 2026 ($23.5 million cap hit next year), leaving room for Dallas to reload without mortgaging the future. And with the Cowboys’ 2026 first-rounder likely in no-man’s-land (playoff contention or bust), it’s a calculated risk worth taking.

The Raiders’ Reluctant Fire Sale: What’s Holding Them Back?

For Las Vegas, trading Crosby would be admitting defeat – a bitter pill after investing heavily in him since drafting him in the fourth round back in 2019. He’s their sack leader (55.5 career), their Pro Bowler (three straight), and the guy who body-slammed the “interim tag” era into oblivion. But reality bites: At 2-6, with losses piling up like unpaid bills, clinging to a 28-year-old edge rusher won’t fix a roster that’s broken from the trenches out.

Hiring Carroll was supposed to be a steadying force, a nod to championship pedigree. Trading for Smith? A bridge to… somewhere. Drafting Jeanty? A gamble on explosiveness. But without a competent line to protect any of it, it’s all smoke. The Raiders’ +3 turnover margin masks deeper woes: They’re 31st in rushing yards allowed (142.5 per game) and hemorrhaging explosive plays. A full teardown – shipping Crosby for a king’s ransom – could net them the picks to rebuild that foundation.

Davis has been coy, insisting “Maxx’s our guy” in a radio hit last week. But sources say the phone’s been ringing off the hook. The Jets? Sniffing around with their extra firsts. The Eagles? Always lurking for disruption. And now, the Cowboys, reportedly “spamming” calls since Epstein’s report dropped Friday. If Jerry sweetens the pot – say, that 2026 first plus a swap of thirds to slide up in 2027 – it might just tip the scales.

The Verdict: Pull the Trigger, Jerry – Or Risk Another Lost Year

This isn’t brain surgery; it’s a no-brainer. The Cowboys are one dominant edge away from flipping the script on a season teetering on the razor’s edge. With the NFC East a dogfight – the Eagles at 6-2, Giants somehow 5-3, and Washington lurking – Dallas can’t afford to tinker. Crosby isn’t a Band-Aid; he’s the cure.

Of course, we know Jerry’s history. The man who once traded for Roy Williams and called it “genius” has a knack for overthinking the obvious. But at 83, with the clock louder than ever, maybe it’s time to trust the evaluator’s intel and go big. Spam those lines to Vegas. Offer the moon. Because if the Raiders say yes – and the tea leaves say they might – the unthinkable becomes reality.

By Tuesday afternoon, we’ll know if the Cowboys weave this magic or unravel once more. One thing’s certain: In a league of calculated chaos, doing nothing might be the real unthinkable move.