The 49ers are staring at a tough reality in the NFC West, and one NFL Network voice thinks the answer is simple: go get Maxx Crosby.
Brian Baldinger made the case on 95.7 The Game that San Francisco can’t afford to sit back while the Los Angeles Rams load up and the Seattle Seahawks continue to look like a force. In his view, the 49ers need to answer the division’s moves with one of their own, and Crosby is the kind of player who changes the conversation immediately.
"You're in an arms race with the Rams right now," Baldinger said. "This is like a military arms race trying to keep up.
I don't know that Maxx Crosby is available or could be had, I have no idea. All I know is I was at the Sack Summit in Las Vegas a month ago, and nobody could beat him off the line of scrimmage.
Everybody challenged him - Jared Verse, pick a guy that was out there - nobody could beat him off the ball. Nobody.
He won, and they had an open competition, Maxx - I got it on video - he beat everybody off the ball."
Baldinger pushed back just as hard on the knee concerns that helped derail a possible deal with the Baltimore Ravens earlier this year. He pointed to his own career as proof that medical opinions don’t always tell the whole story.
"I know Baltimore basically said that his knee is shot," Baldinger said. "I don't see it.
I failed a physical coming in after my sixth year, failed a physical, and played six more years. They said my knee was shot.
Everybody evaluates these things differently. But I feel like if you had a chance to get Maxx Crosby, he becomes your best defensive player immediately.
It's infectious, the way that he plays the game, the way that he practices. Shanahan's not going to beat him in the building.
On any given day, he'll beat everybody in the building. He's got the Michael Jordan mentality."
The price tag is the real question. The Ravens had been linked to a package of two first-round picks, but that now looks too steep after the way the situation played out. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested a different framework: a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick to land Crosby after the Rams’ Myles Garrett move.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated took a more measured view, saying he liked the idea "in principle" but would rather San Francisco wait to see how its aging core holds up before shipping out draft capital. Crosby’s contract only adds to the cost, since he signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension with $91.5 million guaranteed after the Baltimore deal fell apart.
The urgency is obvious for San Francisco. Nick Bosa is still working back from an ACL injury, and Mykell Williams is on the physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. For now, the edge group is thin, with a hobbled Bosa joined by 2026 rookie Romello Height, Sam Okuayinonu and Keion White as the only viable pass rush options.
Crosby would be expensive, and he’d come with real risk. But for a team trying to keep pace in a brutal division, the upside is hard to ignore.
In Other News...
Myles Garrett Trade Drama Just Took Another Turn Rams Fans Will Notice
The blockbuster deal that sent Myles Garrett to Los Angeles in exchange for Jared Verse and multiple future draft picks still has a little afterlife attached to it, and Browns fans are not enjoying the latest chapter. Before the 2026 season opener, Cleveland executive Catherine Hickman showed up at a press conference wearing a sweatshirt that nodded to the trade, a move that immediately drew criticism and kept the conversation centered on one of the biggest personnel swings of the offseason.
Hickmans appearance only added fuel to an already uneasy stretch for the Browns front office, especially with her vague responses to questions about quarterback trade rumors. For Rams fans, the Garrett deal remains the part that matters most, but the reaction back in Cleveland is a reminder that major trades do not just reshape a roster, they linger, and every small gesture around them tends to get noticed. [Read more 🡒]
Stan Kroenkes Latest Power Move Has Rams Fans Paying Attention
Stan Kroenkes reach in sports is about to get even wider. Stan Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has agreed to buy a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno, a deal that is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 if it clears Major League Baseball owners approval.
For Rams fans, the move is another reminder of just how expansive Kroenkes empire has become. The reported price tag is around $4 billion, which would set an MLB record, and it would add baseball to a portfolio that already includes multiple professional franchises. What it ultimately means for the Rams is still an open question, but it is a development worth watching closely from the same ownership group that guides the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Sent A Surprising Signal Behind Matthew Stafford
During the Rams preseason, the backup quarterback battle behind Matthew Stafford drew more attention than expected, with Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett each getting a chance to make his case. Simpson turned in strong preseason performances, which made the competition feel very much alive heading into the final roster decisions. Still, when the Week 1 depth chart came out, Bennett was the one listed behind Stafford.
Sean McVay has not publicly confirmed the backup quarterback decision, which leaves a little room for interpretation even with the depth chart in hand. For a team that knows how quickly quarterback depth can matter, the listing is worth watching closely, especially with Simpson having shown enough to keep the conversation going. [Read more 🡒]