INDIANAPOLIS — At the front of the Maxx Crosby trade train, you will find me.

Head out the window, arm waving, conductor’s hat in hand, yelling “All aboard!”

Then, it’s full steam ahead.

Because if there’s one Patriots transaction I can hype into existence this offseason, it’s Crosby landing at Logan sometime in the next few weeks.

Hell, I’d pick him up myself.

Crosby is a premium player at a premium position on a contract the Pats can afford. He’s smack dab in the middle of his prime. He would fill the biggest hole on the Patriots’ roster, one that threatens to widen into a chasm if K’Lavon Chaisson walks in free agency next month.

There is only one caveat to, a caution, courtesy of a high-ranking AFC executive I spoke with Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“They need to be really sure they’re going to stay where they are with that move,” he said.

To which I say, well, that’s the job.

There is nothing Eliot Wolf is paid to do that’s more important than assembling a roster capable of winning the Super Bowl. The Patriots are weeks removed from playing in the Super Bowl. Lighting a path back is the whole ballgame now.

Failing to return to the Super Bowl next season would not be a failure unto itself. However, failing to infuse this team with appreciably more talent in the coming weeks, and thereby denying the Pats a real chance to march through the gauntlet that is their 2026 schedule, would be a cardinal sin of contending.

True contenders are not cautious. They are confident, bold. Balancing short and long-term roster health is a fact of front office life, yes, but looking down the road should not be an excuse for missing what’s in front of your eyes in free agency and the trade market.

Crosby might spring free. So might A.J. Brown. But trade for both, and relinquish a first-round pick in both deals? That’s where you lose me.

The Patriots truly began to rebuild their roster when they drafted Christian Gonzalez, then Drake Maye, and at least a few of Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, Jared Wilson and Craig Woodson. The Pats must keep their draft picks to continue building out this young core, yet not become too precious with them when proven, veteran talent comes available via trade.

Because there is a difference between “win now” and going all in, and that space is where the Patriots must operate this spring.

Urgent, but not hasty.

Aggressive, but not reckless.

Zeroed in on 2026, but without losing all perspective of what should be a sustained run of contention, thanks to Maye and Mike Vrabel.

With Maye still a year away from becoming eligible for a contract extension that could top $70 million annually, Vrabel is at least talking the talk about spending enough to complete now while planning for later.

“We certainly understand what premium quarterbacks cost in this league, where they get to and what they should be compensated,” he said Wednesday. “So, we’ll do our best to build and continue to build a roster worthy of competing for a championship.”

So what does worthy mean?

If not a Crosby trade, ink a free-agent edge rusher like Trey Hendrickson. Or Jaelan Phillips. Or Odafe Oweh. Or Boye Mafe.

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If not a Brown trade, target Michael Pittman Jr. Or explore Alec Pierce. Or execute Plan D, for Romeo Doubs.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson waves to fans during an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

The Patriots cannot live on the good will built up over a surprise Super Bowl run and bank on internal development to carry them through next season. The Pats must reinforce their roster, and the starting point is to determine whether they can add blue-chip players like Brown and Crosby who can close the talent gap between them and teams like the Seahawks the fastest.

“I think that we’ll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster. There’s a lot of things that go into trades,” Vrabel said. “There’s a lot of back and forth. So I’m sure there’ll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we prepare and get closer to the draft, those are things when time ramps up.”

Until then, I expect the Patriots to target a few top players in free agency, but mostly try to subsist on a handful of mid-level veterans. Whether they land these players or not, they better keep shoveling big chunks of coal.

It’s time to pick up steam heading into 2026.

All aboard.