The Jacksonville Jaguars did a good job of addressing the larger scale roster last offseason. However, a handful of needs showed up throughout the year. One of the biggest ones was the pass rush, or lack thereof.
While the Jags' pass rush wasn't among the worst in the league, it wasn't great either. That became evident in the loss to the Buffalo Bills, when Josh Allen had no trouble carving their secondary. Both Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen played well, but didn't make enough game-altering plays.
It's clear that Jacksonville needs to give the pass rush a boost, and a local beat writer just offered a bold suggestion.
The Jaguars are being urged to turbocharge the pass rush with Maxx Crosby
Ryan O'Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union argues that the Jags need to trade for Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, noting that he would give them a huge upgrade at defensive end. Here's some of what he had to say.
"But too often during the season, the Jaguars failed to manufacture pressure against the top quarterbacks — 12 disruptions against San Francisco's Brock Purdy, eight against the Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, seven against Seattle's Sam Darnold, 10 against the Rams' Matthew Stafford, 10 against Indianpolis' Phillip Rivers and a season-low six against the Bills' Allen," O'Hallaran said.
The Jags' pressure rate of 32.5 percent ranked 23rd in the league, so there's no doubt that they have room for improvement in that area. That's where O'Hallaran argues Crosby would come in handy, and he's right.
Despite the fact that "The Condor" has dealt with injuries in recent years, he's been one of the top pass rushers in the NFL since the Las Vegas (then Oakland) Raiders drafted him in 2019, registering 69.5 sacks. If that wasn't enough, Crosby has made five straight Pro Bowls. The Jaguars could use that kind of talent opposite Josh Hines-Allen.
Trading for Maxx Crosby would be costly for the Jaguars
The Jaguars have a pair of promising pass rushers in Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II. Both flashed in 2025, but expecting them to turn into game-wreackers may not be realistic. That's why trading for a defensive end of Maxx Crosby's caliber would make sense. The issue is that it wouldn't come cheap.
There are a handful of offers the Jaguars could put together. Ryan O'Hallaran, for his part, suggests they send their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, a third- round pick, and Travon Walker in return for the former Eastern Michigan Eagle. That's a hefty price to pay, and borderline insane.
Even if Las Vegas accepted the Jags' first in 2027 and the second in 2028, and a third, that kind of compensation would leave them without many resources to bolster other areas of the roster.
Compounding the issue is that the Jaguars are currently more than $13 million over the cap, and if they took on Maxx Crosby's contract, it would compromise their ability to re-sign players such as linebacker Devin Lloyd and cornerback Montaric Brown this offseason. Last, but not least, it would make it substantially harder to give extensions to tight end Brenton Strange and wide receiver Parker Washington. Both are slated to hit the open market in 2027.
Would it be worth it? You bet, Maxx Crosby is a game-changing talent that would take the Jaguars' pass rusher from good to great. However, the deal would leave the team without many resources to address other needs.