Down at the NFL Combine, a pair of NFL general managers provided updates on two players many Detroit Lions fans were hoping to see come to Detroit this offseason.
Let’s start with Las Vegas Raiders edge defender Maxx Crosby. It’s no secret that Crosby’s season with the Raiders did not end harmoniously, after the Raiders shut him down with an injury when Crosby wanted to finish out the year. There have since been rumors aplenty that Crosby no longer wants to play for the Raiders and go through another rebuild, although Crosby himself has not publicly said anything about demanding a trade.
On Tuesday, Raiders general manager John Spytek made it clear that the Raiders do not want to trade away Crosby, who remains under contract through the 2029 season. When asked if he anticipates Crosby being with the Raiders for the 2026 season, he did not mince words.
“I do, yes.”
He later added, “Maxx is an elite player, and I’ve been very upfront from the start when I got here that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. It’s hard to build a great team without elite players.”
Spytek reiterated that he and Crosby “have a great relationship” and see each other every day as he rehabs at the team facility. But at the same time, Spytek was later asked if Crosby was an untouchable player when it comes to trades, and his response kept the door open.
”We’re always listening, man,” Spytek said.
Detroit will likely be in the market for a defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson with Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad headed for free agency.
The other popular free agent pairing for the Lions is Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, whose contract expires when the new league year starts. The Lions are seeking answers at center after losing Frank Ragnow to retirement last year and seeing Graham Glasgow struggle in the role in 2025.
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said on Tuesday that the Ravens have offered Linderbaum a market-setting contract, though it remains unclear if they’ll be able to keep him.
“Tyler’s a guy I have tremendous respect for. Obviously, he’s proven to be, in my opinion, the best center in the league,” DeCosta said. “We’ve been having conversations, we’ve had conversations since the end of the season, and at this point in time, we’ve made him a market-setting deal proposal offer, and hopefully we can get something done with him between now and the start of the new league year.”
As of right now, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey is the highest-paid center in the league on a his four-year, $72 million contract ($18 million per year). So the assumption here is that the Ravens have offered at least $18 million per year for Linderbaum, and if a team is to outbid the Ravens it will cost north of that—if Baltimore even lets him out of the building.
Talk is cheap this time of year, and with so many general managers and agents together down in Indianapolis, things can change in a hurry. But, for now, it appears these two popular targets for the Lions may not be available this offseason.
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