Before landing Myles Garrett to terrorize opposing quarterbacks, the Rams inquired about another player capable of doing the same.
asserted
Rams → land → same
But there is an important distinction between Crosby wanting to remain in Las Vegas and turning down a trade to Los Angeles.
asserted
Crosby → be → Angeles
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Crosby communicated his desire to stay with the Raiders after the Ravens trade fell through.
uncertain
trade → accord → Raiders
When the Rams contacted the Raiders to ask about his availability, they were told Las Vegas was keeping him.
asserted
Vegas → contact → him
No offer followed.
asserted
offer → follow → ?
No trade parameters were agreed upon.
asserted
parameters → agree → ?
And no deal was presented to Crosby for him to accept or reject.
asserted
him → present → Crosby
So while the situation has been characterized as Crosby saying no to the Rams, the more precise explanation is that he wanted to remain a Raider — and the Rams’ inquiry never advanced beyond that initial conversation.
asserted
inquiry → characterize → conversation
And after one week, there is reason to believe the way things unfolded might have worked out pretty well for Crosby and the Raiders.
uncertain
things → be → Crosby
One win over the Dolphins will not erase years of frustration.
asserted
win → erase → frustration
But the Raiders looked like a team with a plan, players capable of executing it and a coaching staff that knows how to bring it together.
asserted
that → look → it
For Crosby, that matters.
asserted
that → matter → Crosby
His desire to be traded grew out of dwindling patience with rebuilding programs that kept promising a better future without ever delivering one.
asserted
that → trade → one
There are only so many fresh starts an elite player can embrace while the prime of his career ticks away.
asserted
prime → be → career
The early indication under new head coach Klint Kubiak is that this version might actually be going somewhere.
uncertain
version → go → Kubiak
Crosby has more help.
asserted
Crosby → have → help
The defense showed signs of functioning as a connected unit.
asserted
defense → show → unit
And the Raiders gave him something more substantial than another offseason sales pitch.
asserted
Raiders → give → pitch
They put evidence on the field.
asserted
They → put → field
It is a start, with plenty still to prove.
asserted
It → prove → plenty
But it helps explain why remaining in Las Vegas could become a positive outcome for a player whose frustration was rooted in wanting to win.
uncertain
frustration → help → player
As for how he remained a Raider, the sequence is fairly straightforward.
asserted
sequence → remain → ?
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, the Rams contacted the Raiders soon after the Baltimore trade unraveled.
uncertain
trade → accord → Raiders
They wanted to understand whether Crosby might still be available and whether there was reason to pursue a discussion.
uncertain
Crosby → want → discussion
Were the Raiders still considering moving him?
asserted
Raiders → consider → him
Were they open to hearing from another interested team?
asserted
they → hear → team
Or had they decided to move forward with Crosby in Las Vegas?
For the Rams, it was a logical call.
asserted
it → decide → Rams
When a player of Crosby’s caliber appears potentially available, there is every reason to check.
asserted
player → appear → caliber
The collapse of one trade created an obvious question about whether another could follow.
uncertain
another → create → question
But the answer the Rams received, according to sources, was that the Raiders were standing pat.
uncertain
Raiders → receive → sources
The inquiry did not develop into an offer.
asserted
inquiry → develop → offer
The teams did not agree to compensation.
asserted
teams → agree → compensation
And the process never reached a stage at which Crosby was presented with a potential Rams deal that he then brought to a halt.
asserted
he → reach → halt
His remaining in Las Vegas was more straightforward than it has sometimes been represented.
asserted
it → remain → Vegas
According to sources familiar with the circumstances, the Raiders represented familiarity and stability for Crosby after the jolt of the Baltimore deal falling through.
uncertain
Raiders → accord → deal
There was comfort in the team he knew and the place where he had built his career.
asserted
he → be → career
But finding reassurance in Las Vegas and turning down Los Angeles are separate things.
asserted
finding → find → Angeles
There is no way to know how Crosby would have responded had the teams negotiated a deal.
asserted
teams → be → deal
Perhaps he would have welcomed the possibility.
asserted
he → welcome → possibility
Perhaps he would have preferred to stay.
asserted
he → prefer → ?
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
