Why the 49ers Need to Trade for Maxx Crosby Before the Eagles Do

The 49ers aren't good enough. And and it sounds it like they know it.

Don't get me wrong, they're good. They won a playoff game last season. But they're not as good as the Seahawks, who won the Super Bowl, or the Rams, who just traded for Myles Garrett. The 49ers are the third-best team in their division. And if the Eagles trade for Maxx Crosby, and they're heavily interested in him according to reports, the 49ers will fall behind them in the NFC as well.

That's why the 49ers also are interested in trading for Crosby. One, he's a great player. With him, the 49ers would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Two, if they don't get him and the Eagles do, the 49ers can kiss their Super Bowl hopes goodbye for this year, and maybe for good. It's not like the 49ers are a young team.

Remember, the Raiders want to trade Crosby -- they're rebuilding. That's why they dealt him to the Ravens during the offseason for two first-round picks before the Ravens got cold feet, failed Crosby's physical while he was recovering from knee surgery, cancelled the trade and signed Trey Hendrickson instead. Hendrickson simply was cheaper.

Now, the Raiders are in no hurry to trade Crosby. They could hold onto him until the trade deadline or even next offseason if a team doesn't offer them what they want.

Which means the 49ers could wait a few months to see how Crosby plays coming off a meniscus repair before making a trade offer for him. But if they wait, they run the risk of not getting him.

That's because the Eagles are aggressive. They already traded for veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard this offseason. They're not satisfied to merely make the playoffs. Every season is Super Bowl or bust for them.

Theoretically, the Eagles could offer the Raiders a first-round pick and Jalen Carter for Maxx Crosby. To beat that, the 49ers couldn't offer a first-round pick and Mykel Williams, because he's not nearly as valuable as Carter. Instead, the 49ers would have to offer two first-round picks -- one in 2027 and one in 2028.

And that's exactly what the 49ers should do. Trade two firsts for Crosby. He's better than any player the 49ers have drafted in the first round under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. They're not good drafters, particularly in Round 1. They should always trade their first-round picks, as the Rams usually do.

If the 49ers are serious about winning a Super Bowl, they'll make the Raiders an offer they can't refuse.

Let's see how serious they are.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Why the 49ers Need to Trade for Maxx Crosby Before the Eagles Do.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM.