The Dallas Cowboys have created the kind of cap room that makes everyone around the league start connecting dots.
Ahead of the season opener, Dallas reworked several contracts and, in the process, gave itself a much cleaner path to a major move later on. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland, and two-time Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson all had their deals restructured.
The Cowboys had been sitting on more than $14 million in cap space before those moves. Now they’re sitting at roughly $33 million.
That matters because it gives Dallas room to chase something bigger if the right deal comes along. Archer pointed out that if the Cowboys want to swing a significant trade before the deadline later in the season, they now have the flexibility to do it. He also noted that last year Dallas landed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets in a trade deadline move.
The name that keeps coming up is Maxx Crosby.
Dallas was already viewed as one of the favorites to try to land the Raiders’ star edge-rusher in the offseason. That pursuit appeared to be over when the Baltimore Ravens stepped in, but that trade between Baltimore and Las Vegas never happened. Now the Cowboys are back in the conversation.
That fits the direction Dallas has been taking since trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last season. The team has been trying to replace that kind of impact and, according to the reporting, is looking for an established player to fill the role.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio connected the dots publicly, pointing to the Cowboys’ cap situation and Crosby’s contract. “With more than $30 million in 2026 cap space now on hand, the Cowboys have plenty of space to absorb a veteran contract (or two) via trade.
Coincidentally, or not, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has a 2026 base salary of $30 million. Just saying,” Florio said.
Earlier this week, there were also reports that Dallas was not finished adding talent.
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Maxx Crosbys status adds a harder layer to the picture. The pass rusher remains one of the most valuable players on the roster, but there is already a sense that Las Vegas could weigh a trade if the team is not in playoff position by midseason, with an eye toward collecting draft capital for the next stage of the rebuild. For a fan base that has already watched one painful season slip away, those are the kinds of decisions that will define whether this is a quick reset or a longer overhaul. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Could Reignite Cowboys Chatter With One All In Move
Dallas has already spent the offseason trying to tighten up its defense under coordinator Christian Parker, and the Cowboys still sound open to making another move if the right one comes along. That is why the chatter around Maxx Crosby keeps hanging around the edges of the conversation, especially after reporting surfaced that Dallas had previously put multiple offers on the table for the Raiders pass rusher, including packages built around draft picks and players.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has floated the idea of the Cowboys circling back, and it is easy to see why the speculation keeps resurfacing whenever Jerry Jones starts talking like a team that is not done yet. Crosby was already part of trade discussions with Dallas before his brief stop with Baltimore and return to Las Vegas, and while nothing has come together, the possibility alone is enough to keep this storyline alive if the Cowboys decide to go all in. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Fans Have Every Reason To Watch This Maxx Crosby Rumor
The Cowboys just gave themselves a lot more breathing room by restructuring deals for Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson, pushing their cap space from a little over $14 million to roughly $33 million. That kind of financial flexibility usually gets the league's rumor mill moving, especially when a contender is trying to position itself for a major deadline swing.
For Raiders fans, the obvious name to watch is Maxx Crosby. Dallas now has the kind of room that could fuel talk of a big defensive addition, and Crosby fits the sort of headline-grabbing move that changes a season in a hurry. Nothing has been confirmed, but when a team opens up that much space this close to the season, the speculation around a premier edge rusher is going to linger. [Read more 🡒]