In a way, Jerry Jones was both right and wrong about Micah Parsons. After trading away the elite pass-rusher, the Dallas Cowboys saw their defense hold them back in 2025, as expected. But Parsons suffered a torn ACL right before the playoffs, the type of injury Jones claimed had to be taken into account when giving a player a massive contract.
Obviously, no one could foresee a major injury like that happening. Heading into 2026, while Parsons works his way back from injury, Jones must work to replace Parsons’ impact. The Cowboys owner seems to already have admitted making a mistake by trading away his star pass-rusher, with eyes on a trade for Maxx Crosby.
The Las Vegas Raiders defensive stalwart has been ambiguous with his intentions in regards to his future with the Raiders. He wants to win with the franchise that drafted him, but their tanking efforts at the end of 2025 rubbed him the wrong way. And he knows they aren’t very close to competing for a Super Bowl.
But with Klint Kubiak in tow as Las Vegas’ new head coach, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza set to follow shortly after, the tide may be turning for Crosby. Kubiak’s latest coaching staff move may be the key to keeping Crosby on the Raiders.
Klint Kubiak promotes Maxx Crosby’s position coach to defensive coordinator
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday that Kubiak promoting defensive line coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator has the potential to sway Crosby to stay. Leonard has been Crosby’s positional coach for the past three seasons.
Kubiak’s decision could very well be a play to persuade Crosby. The pass-rusher was already a known commodity when Leonard joined the Raiders in 2023, but Crosby had his best season as a pro under Leonard in their first season together. There seems to be a mutual respect between the two.
This could leave the Cowboys without the potential of trading for Crosby. Jones could turn his attention to Trey Hendrickson now; a player Jones expressed interest in trading for at the deadline.
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