The New England Patriots are preparing for a Super Bowl this week, but with NFL offseason rumors already beginning to swirl, it’s hard not to think about what it would take for them to return to the top of the AFC next season. To do so, they'll want to address their biggest area of need, if there is one on a team playing for its first championship in the post-Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era: the pass rush.
Mike Vrabel and his staff have done an immaculate job at masking that during this postseason run, although some porous offensive lines have helped. Next year, though, the Patriots won’t be fortunate enough to hide that their pass rush is more by committee than anything. Look at the Chicago Bears: Their subpar pass rush cost them a shot at reaching the NFC title game. That's how high the bar is, which is why New England shoould put together a massive trade package to land one of the NFL’s most disgruntled edge rushers.
.@DMRussini suggests that Raiders DE Maxx Crosby could be a target for the #Patriots if he requests a trade:
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) February 4, 2026
“Maxx Crosby doesn’t seem too happy in Las Vegas… I know he wants to play for Mike Vrabel. He’s told me before.”
(🎥 @ZoandBertrand)pic.twitter.com/TeRL9Ftxst
In the process, they not only add an elite talent off the edge to bolster their defense, but they also ensure that as long as they’re healthy, they’re set for playoff runs for the foreseeable future.
New England could rain terror on the AFC with this Maxx Crosby trade
This would require the Patriots to give up a lot of future draft picks, while also giving up a solid veteran in Landry. Given on the market after Micah Parsons yielded with two first-round picks and a high-end player, that's the cost of doing business. And while the Patriots won’t really be able to offer a high-end talent in return, they can offload some draft capital given where they are in their competitive life cycle.
For this move, New England will have to get aggressive. As frustrated as Crosby is with the Las Vegas Raiders right now, the team doesn’t seem interested in engaging in talks just yet, and they still have plenty of leverage with four years remaining on his deal. For Vegas to trade the face of their franchise, they’re going to need an offer they can’t refuse.
This might be just the package, as the Raiders are deep in the rebuilding trenches and need all the draft capital they can get. Landing three premium picks and a short-term replacement for Crosby feels like the best-case scenario for both sides. Maybe the Patriots could sweeten the deal with a young piece like WR Kyle Williams if it comes to that, though I just don’t see them giving up that much for a 28-year-old player.
Why New England needs to go all-in on Maxx Crosby
New England’s options are limited right now. They expedited their championship window with this magical run, and while Drake Maye is still on his rookie-scale contract, they have to build as good of a roster as they can to keep pace in the AFC. Finding a star pass rusher is the biggest way they could move the needle ahead of next season, but the competition figures to be fierce.
The Bears should also be in the market this offseason. Chicago may look at signing Trey Hendrickson, as would New England, but he didn’t quite match his usual production in Cincinnati this year and may not be the impact player either team needs. Crosby, on the other hand, is not only on a team-friendly deal, but has every reason to want to prove he’s still elite.
Landing on a championship roster is all the motivation he’ll need to prove he was worth that contract, and that the Raiders' dysfunction was what kept him out of the playoffs. I expect the Bears to be active in trying to land Crosby as well. New England can’t get scooped if they want to have a championship-caliber defense.
This is the type of move that, when we look back, could have the same impact as the Seattle Seahawk adding Sam Darnold. New England is giving up a lot of its future, but they won’t need it because they’re set up to win now and build for later.