San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl hangover could end with a stunning Maxx Crosby deal this season

San Francisco watched the Los Angeles Rams grab Myles Garrett this offseason and add him to a front that already includes Byron Young, Braden Fiske, and Kobie Turner. That left the 49ers searching for their own counterpunch, and Maxx Crosby is still the name at the top of their list. NFL insider Hondo Carpenter didn't mince words about it on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast: "I am telling you there is a lot of interest in Maxx Crosby.

Two teams specifically are nuclear hot: the Eagles and the 49ers."

Why are the 49ers so interested in Maxx Crosby?

The math is pretty simple. San Francisco finished dead last in the league with just 20 sacks in 2025, and Nick Bosa is still working his way back from a second ACL tear. Pairing Crosby with Bosa would give Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch something they haven't had in years-- a defensive front that actually scares offensive coordinators. Crosby is only 28, he's locked up through 2029, and he's racked up 69.5 sacks in his career, hitting double digits in three of the last four seasons.

That kind of production doesn't grow on trees, especially for a team that's run out of patience waiting on its pass rush to show up.This isn't the first time Maxx Crosby's name has surfaced in San Francisco. He nearly left Las Vegas for Baltimore earlier this offseason before failing his physical after knee surgery, which killed the deal and sent him back to the Raiders. That whole saga did two things: it proved Vegas would actually move him for the right price, and it made every interested team a little more cautious about his health.

The Raiders reportedly still want at least two first-round picks for him, though some reporting suggests San Francisco might be able to get there with fewer premium picks given Crosby's age and recent injury history.

Will the 49ers actually make a move for Maxx Crosby?

Not yet, and probably not soon. Albert Breer has said he likes the idea for San Francisco but wants to see how the first several weeks of the season play out before any draft capital gets committed. Raiders GM John Spytek has publicly said he expects Crosby to stay put, even as reports suggest Crosby himself isn't thrilled about it behind the scenes. The realistic scenario looks something like this: if Las Vegas stumbles out of the gate and San Francisco is rolling, Lynch picks up the phone.

Until then, this stays a watch-and-wait situation rather than an active negotiation.