Jon Gruden knows a thing or two about building championship-caliber defenses-he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl win and worked closely with some of the league’s most disruptive pass rushers. Now, the former Bucs and Raiders head coach is urging his old team in Tampa to aim high.
Really high. As in: make a run at Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Gruden didn’t mince words when talking about Crosby’s value on The Drive w/TKras this week. “He’s under contract, and he’s the best player on the team,” Gruden said.
“I think he’s arguably the most impactful edge rusher in football. Absolutely.
I think that’s a winning edge that a great defense has. It’s a fourth-quarter pass rush.”
Crosby’s résumé backs that up. At 28, he’s still squarely in his prime and already a two-time second-team All-Pro.
He’s the kind of player who tilts the field-relentless motor, elite bend, and an ability to wreck a game plan off the edge. If you’re Tampa Bay, still looking to take the next step back toward title contention, that kind of player doesn’t just help-you build around him.
But here’s the catch: Crosby is under contract with the Raiders through the 2027 season. That means any team hoping to land him-Tampa included-would have to trade for him. And that’s where things get complicated.
Gruden, who coached Crosby during his first three seasons in the league, didn’t hold back on what it would mean for Las Vegas to let him go. “They’d be one of the dumbest franchises in America” if they traded him, Gruden said.
Still, he believes Tampa should try.
To make his case, Gruden pointed to a historic move from the Bucs’ own past. Before the 2001 season, Tampa signed Simeon Rice in free agency.
Rice had already been a second-team All-Pro with the Cardinals, but his best football came in pewter and red. In 2002, he became a first-team All-Pro and a cornerstone of one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, helping Tampa secure its first Lombardi Trophy.
The comparison is compelling, but there’s one big difference: Rice was a free agent. Crosby is not. So if Tampa wants him, they’ll have to pay a price.
Gruden referenced a more recent blockbuster as a blueprint: the Green Bay Packers’ trade for Micah Parsons from the Cowboys. That deal cost Green Bay two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Crosby, being older than Parsons was at the time of that trade, might not command quite that steep a price-but it won’t be cheap either.
“Perhaps Jason Licht can swing a deal to get a great rusher,” Gruden said, nodding to the Bucs’ general manager and his history of making bold, calculated moves.
If the price proves too high, Gruden also floated the idea of addressing the edge position through the draft. Either way, he made it clear: upgrading the pass rush should be a top priority for Tampa.
And the numbers support that. The Bucs finished tied for 18th in the league in sacks this past season-not terrible, but not exactly game-changing either.
Meanwhile, the Raiders, despite having Crosby, finished dead last at 32nd. That’s a testament to how much Crosby has carried the load on his own-and how much more dangerous he could be with a stronger supporting cast.
Of course, superstar trades like this don’t happen often. And when they do, they usually catch everyone off guard. So while the idea of Crosby in a Bucs uniform may seem far-fetched now, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
For Tampa Bay, the question isn’t just whether Crosby is available. It’s whether they’re willing to make the kind of aggressive move that could turn a good defense into a great one.
Gruden thinks they should. And given his track record, it’s worth listening.