A new rumor claims that long before the Cincinnati Bengals traded for Dexter Lawrence, they were eyeing a deal for the star defensive lineman. However, the deal fell apart for a very special reason.
Last week, the Bengals shocked many in the NFL when they gave up their chance to make the 10th selection in this week’s NFL Draft to acquire defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants. The three-time Pro Bowler was disgruntled and was coming off a poor season, so many thought the Giants would be lucky if they got a second-rounder for his services.
Whether you like the cost of the trade or not, the Bengals are still significantly better off on defense for 2026. They desperately needed to do something, especially after losing Trey Hendrickson to division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.
Reports indicate that the Lawrence trade came together quickly. So did the Bengals have someone else in mind to trade with their pick at No. 10? According to Essential Sports NFL insider Tony Pauline, the answer is yes.
The Cincinnati Bengals attempted to trade for Max Crosby.
“Sources told me that long before the Bengals traded the draft’s 10th pick to the Giants for Lawrence, the team had discussed trading that selection to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby. But the Bengals were unwilling to match the pair of first-round picks that the Ravens initially sent to Vegas for Crosby before a failed physical deal voided the deal.”
Landing the five-time Pro Bowler would have been a huge accomplishment and would have given Bengals fans hope of winning an AFC North title in 2026. Additionally, in addition to being an elite pass rusher who is still only 28 years old, he comes in at a reasonable rate and is set to make an average of $28 million through 2029.
After Crosby failed his physical, pundits claimed it would be difficult for Las Vegas to acquire two first-rounders in another deal this offseason. They were right.
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