The San Francisco 49ers were dealt a gut punch on Monday with the news that the Los Angeles Rams acquired elite edge rusher Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns.
Now, Niners general manager John Lynch should be on the phone with the Las Vegas Raiders asking about Maxx Crosby.
Earlier in the offseason, it seemed like Crosby would be playing for a new team in 2026. There was a deal in place to send him to the Baltimore Ravens, but that deal fell through due to a failed physical. Since then, it has seemed like Crosby will stay put, but maybe San Francisco can make a play for him.
For a long time, the 49ers have been linked to Crosby. He would be an ideal complement to Nick Bosa on the defensive line and would finally give the defense a solid edge rusher opposite Bosa.
Crosby had 10 sacks with the Raiders last year and has made the Pro Bowl each of the last five seasons. The 28-year-old veteran is still in his prime and is under contract for the next several seasons, so if the Niners wanted to make this move, now is the time to do it.
When the Ravens and Raiders agreed to a deal, Baltimore had agreed to send two first-round picks to Las Vegas in exchange for Crosby. That deal fell apart because the Ravens were concerned about Crosby’s knee, which he had surgery on earlier this year, and Baltimore ended up looking bad on the whole saga.
While there haven’t reportedly been intense trade talks for Crosby since then, the Niners have to make a move on the edge rusher front. The Seattle Seahawks made their response by signing edge rusher Derick Hall to an extension, so the Niners need to make a move of their own.
Signing Joey Bosa would make sense, but if Lynch really wants to show the Niners are serious about making a run this season, then he should try to work something out with the Raiders. Maybe he could offer a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick or something like that. It wouldn’t be quite as high as Baltimore’s rescinded offer, but after the concerns about Crosby’s knee, it wouldn’t be a bad deal for a Las Vegas team that is clearly trying to rebuild.
The NFC West is an arms race right now, and the 49ers need to close the very real missile gap by landing Crosby to take their defense to the next level.
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