A practice-field dustup between Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins turned into a full-blown offseason talking point after former NBA guard Joe Johnson tossed out a spicy theory: the Raiders edge rusher wasn’t just playing too aggressively, he was trying to force his way to Dallas.
The moment came during Friday practice, when Crosby hit Cousins twice on the quarterback’s throwing arm. Cousins responded right away, confronting Crosby over the extra contact. What could have stayed a standard camp scuffle instead blew up into speculation about motive, destination, and whether one hard-nosed rep had a bigger meaning.
Johnson made his case on the Nightcap show and didn’t hide his allegiance. A Cowboys fan, he was blunt about what he thinks was going on.
"Y'all know Crosby want to be in Dallas," Johnson said. "He hit the quarterback on purpose." Johnson’s theory was that Crosby was deliberately stirring things up in hopes of pushing the Raiders into dealing him before the season.
Chad Johnson, who co-hosts the show, wasn’t sold on the idea. And it’s not hard to see why. Intentionally going after your own quarterback as a trade tactic is the kind of move that would usually blow up in a player’s face rather than get him shipped out.
Still, the Cowboys angle didn’t come out of nowhere. Dallas spent the offseason trying hard to land Crosby.
The first offer included defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and the 20th overall pick. When that didn’t get it done, the Cowboys upped the ante with the 12th pick and a future second-rounder.
Jerry Jones later confirmed the team never walked away from those talks.
The trade path eventually collapsed after Crosby had knee surgery and then failed his physical with the Baltimore Ravens, who were involved as a trade partner. And the speculation only gets louder because Crosby has Texas ties, having gone to Colleyville Heritage High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The Cowboys’ interest makes obvious sense when you look at their 2025 defensive numbers. Dallas finished last in passing yards allowed, giving up 251.1 yards per game through the air and 30.1 points per game overall.
Crosby would be a natural fix for that problem. He has led the league in tackles for loss twice in his career, and that kind of disruption is exactly what Dallas has been missing up front. He has also publicly spoken about his respect for Dak Prescott, praising the quarterback’s command of the offense.
For now, Crosby says the trade chatter hasn’t changed anything about his approach, and he remains with the Raiders. The more likely explanation for the Cousins collision is still the simplest one: a competitive player going hard in camp. Even so, the Cowboys’ pursuit and Crosby’s Texas background are enough to keep the rumor mill spinning a little longer.
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