NFL Confidential: Will Lamar Actually Get Traded? Execs Dish on Jackson, Crosby

The 2025 NFL regular season isn't over yet, but we might have a sense of who might be the top names getting traded this offseason. 

A report emerged over the holiday week about the viability of Lamar Jackson's relationship with the Baltimore Ravens, while Maxx Crosby was disgruntled with the Las Vegas Raiders' decision to sideline him for the final two games of the season, FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported. Jackson and the Ravens are still fighting for a playoff spot in Week 18, but the Raiders are one loss away from securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Are both reports just rumors that will eventually be viewed as water under the bridge, or are they foreshadowing potential trades involving Jackson and Crosby this offseason? FOX Sports NFL reporters Ralph Vacchiano and Eric D. Williams surveyed the league to see if both stars could actually get traded this offseason and who might be interested in possibly trading for them.

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Executive finds it hard to believe Ravens would trade Lamar Jackson 

Ralph Vacchiano: The biggest story of the NFL’s upcoming offseason could be the potential blockbuster trade of quarterback Lamar Jackson. But that’s only if the Baltimore Ravens decide to trade him.

"Why would they do that?" an NFL executive asked me. "Whatever issues they have with him, they’re a playoff team every year with Lamar. Who’s the quarterback there if they trade him?"

That is the biggest unanswerable question for the Ravens, amid reports that a rift has developed between the franchise quarterback and coach John Harbaugh. If that rift is real — Harbaugh denied it — and the Ravens decide to pursue a trade, replacing a quarterback like Jackson "could take years — many, many years," the executive said.

"He’s a two-time MVP who’s not even 30 yet (he turns 29 on Jan. 7), and you’re going to replace him with who? Mac Jones? Malik Willis?" the executive asked. "The guy is one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. You don’t replace him with just another guy.

"You need a real Plan B if you’re going to give away a quarterback like that. A mid-level free agent isn’t a plan. ‘We’ll just find someone in the draft’ isn’t a plan. It would be different if they had drafted a kid they knew was going to be a star. But they didn’t. And they’re going to end up giving away two, three playoff seasons trying to find one, when the star is already right there."

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If the Ravens opt to trade Jackson, though, teams might be more willing to pursue him than in 2023 

Ralph Vacchiano: Nearly three years ago, any team in the NFL could have made a run at Lamar Jackson when the Baltimore Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on him. All it would’ve taken was a few hundred million dollars and two first-round picks.

 That was a price that no team was willing to pay. So why would they pay it now, when Jackson is two years older?

 That’s a question the Ravens will have to find the answer to if they put their franchise quarterback on the playoff block. There are two years remaining on the five-year, $260 million contract he signed in 2023, and both seasons carry salaries of $51.5 million. Any new team would likely have to extend his contract to lower his salary cap hit.

And two first-round picks would seem to be the least of what the Ravens would ask for in trade.

Lamar Jackson msised the Ravens' Week 17 win over the Packers due to a back injury. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The difference, according to NFL sources, is that two years ago there was a widespread belief that Jackson was seeking a fully guaranteed contract, similar to the disastrous one that the Cleveland Browns gave to Deshaun Watson. No team was willing to do that (and there have been allegations that NFL owners colluded to make sure no one did).

"That’s a huge difference," an NFL executive told me. "You can get him now for two years and $100-something million, or you can redo his deal and make sure it helps your salary cap and you have a way out if you need it. Those terms matter."

"There’s no doubt he’s worth two first-round picks. It’s more about the rest of it," said another NFL executive. "I’m sure that’s what did it two years ago. ‘You want us to give up two first-round picks and guarantee him $300 million? And there’s a chance you were just negotiating for the Ravens anyway, so they could match the deal?’ No owner was going to do that.

"This time it’s a much easier deal to sell to your boss."

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Who could trade for Jackson if he becomes available? One exec points to the Raiders as a fit

Eric D. Williams: In what’s lining up to be an eventful offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are tracking toward the first overall pick and eventual selection of Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Entering Week 18, the 2-14 Raiders own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders still have a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but at the top of the to-do list for owner Mark Davis following that game will be deciding whether to move on from head coach Pete Carroll after flat-lining in his first season running the team on the field.

Another important decision will be deciding on a quarterback for 2026 after a trade for Geno Smith fizzled this year. And with uncertainty in Baltimore about Lamar Jackson’s future with that franchise, Las Vegas is a potential landing spot for the two-time NFL MVP, and he could make sense for the Raiders financially, according to a league source I spoke with.

Jackson does not have an agent and negotiates his own deals. He and the Ravens went through a contentious contract negotiation that included Jackson asking for a trade before consummating a five-year, $260 million deal in April 2023.

Josh Allen MUST have 'No Mahomes, No Problem' mentality 😤 all eyes on Lamar Jackson in 2026

Jackson’s deal is up after 2027, and he will seek a contract extension this offseason that makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

The Raiders are projected to have $116.5 million in cap space for 2026, the second-most cap space in the league. That would give Vegas the financial wherewithal, along with the draft capital, to make a play for a franchise-changing player like Jackson this offseason, according to a league source.

"The Raiders would make the most sense, both from a talent-need perspective and a cap space available perspective," a league source told me. "As we look at the next two years, the Raiders have the most cap space. The reason why cap space is an important consideration is because Lamar is going to be looking for a new contract ASAP."

If Jackson is not a consideration, the league source told me a trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray could make sense as well. Murray's future in Arizona became cloudy this season with the Cardinals when head coach Jonathan Gannon said he would've been benched for Jacoby Brissett had he been healthy back in November.

[More: Change of Scenery For Kyler Murray? 4 Destinations That Make Sense for Cardinals QB]

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Exec, scout concerned about Maxx Crosby's health

Ralph Vacchiano: Maxx Crosby clearly has a problem with the Las Vegas Raiders after their decision to sit him for the final two games of the regular season due to concerns about his injured knee. Crosby has made it clear he doesn’t share those concerns.

 But if the Raiders eventually decide to trade him, it’s a good bet that other teams will.

 "Love the player, but I need to know how hurt he is," an AFC scout told me by text. "I’m sure he thinks he’s fine. But the doctors would have to tell me that before I pushed for a trade."

 "That’s the big unknown," an NFL executive added. "He wouldn’t be the first player who disagreed with a doctor. But I’m not paying the price he’d cost unless my doctor is absolutely sure his knee is fine."

Jay Glazer gives update on DK Metcalf's suspension, Packers' QB situation, & Maxx Crosby's future with Raiders

Crosby will reportedly undergo a meniscus trim this offseason, but he was adamant that he wanted to finish out the regular season. 

"I've been on the phone with Maxx a bunch over the last couple of days and he's not happy," Glazer said on "FOX NFL Sunday" this past week. "He was like, ‘Jay, I play football. This is what I do. I’ve had a knee injury since Week 3 that I've played with the entire time. They told me they were shutting me down, I was like, no, absolutely not. I play football. There's no shutting it down for me. I want to be out there. I want to be out there with my teammates.' It just wasn't acceptable to Maxx."

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One league exec doesn't expect a Crosby trade, but Raiders could receive Micah Parsons-like haul if they move him

Eric D. Williams: Face of the franchise and talented edge rusher Maxx Crosby voiced his displeasure with Las Vegas placing him on the injured reserve list for the final two games of the season to repair a nagging knee injury he had been playing through, improving the team’s chances of securing the No. 1 overall pick without their best defensive player on the field.

"The way you look at it from my perspective is you play to win," Crosby said on the "Let’s Go!" podcast. "You play for your teammates. You put everything you have into the game, no matter what it is. There’s going to be bumps and bruises. You’re going to be banged up. That is part of the game and the nature of the beast."

I asked a league executive if the Raiders would move Crosby this offseason. "Probably not," the league executive told me.

However, if the Raiders were inclined to move on from one of the best pass rushers in the game, the league executive said Las Vegas could receive a similar haul to what the Dallas Cowboys got back in a trade with the Green Bay Packers for edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Micah Parsons was traded for two first-round picks and standout defensive tackle Kenny Clark back in August. Could Maxx Crosby get traded for a similar price? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

That deal included the Cowboys receiving two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

"They’re different ages, but I think the trade value would be similar," the league executive told me. "The fact that his contract is done is a huge asset to the acquiring team."

Crosby, 28, is two years older than the 26-year-old Parsons, who signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension soon after the trade. Also, Crosby inked a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension this offseason that puts him with the Raiders until the 2029 season. 

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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