Chargers Could Lose Top Free Agent To Cowboys Thanks To Maxx Crosby Trade

The Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos let out a collective sigh of relief on Friday night. The Las Vegas Raiders finally pulled the trigger and traded star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks.

The Chargers have one of the top free agent pass rushers in Odafe Oweh, who's set to hit the market on Monday at noon ET. They were able to retain veteran Khalil Mack on Saturday night, inking him to another one-year deal worth $18 million.

The initial fear was losing Oweh to the Ravens, where they originally acquired him from. The thought process being that Oweh would potentially want to reunite with new Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter, who helped him notch 7.5 sacks in 12 games with the Chargers in 2025. With Crosby now in the purple and black, that won't be a worry anymore.

Instead, the fear shifts to the NFC, where the Dallas Cowboys are hoping to add a premier pass rusher. Not even one year after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys were in on trading for Crosby, obviously to no avail. They'll now focus their attention on the free agent market, which includes Oweh.

The Chargers need to make sure they don't lose Oweh to Dallas.

Chargers could lose Odafe Oweh to Cowboys in free agency

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh (98) celebrates his sack. — Odafe Oweh | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN released some new free agency buzz ahead of the legal tampering period on Monday. When it came to Dallas, Fowler laid out their fallback plan now that Crosby is out of the picture.

"Dallas must now pivot to free agency to land its pass rusher," Fowler wrote. "It has monitoredTrey Hendrickson dating back to the trade deadline. He's now a free agent. Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Boye Mafe will be firmly on Dallas' radar in the coming days."

It was expected that the Chargers would have to fend off competitors for Oweh's services. Not only were his 7.5 sacks impressive, but he also added three more in their playoff loss to the New England Patriots. That certainly added some more money to a potential new deal.

The Chargers, who sit with $92 million before the Mack signing, will still be in a perfect position to add whoever they want. Oweh's market value is set at $19.3 million annually, with a projected deal worth $57,972,261 over 3 years.

It'll be interesting to see if the Chargers can retain their top free agent.