NFL
On Friday night, the Baltimore Ravens pulled off a massive trade, the first big blockbuster move of the offseason, by trading for Maxx Crosby. The Ravens made the big acquisition for the 5-time Pro Bowl from Las Vegas to help the pass rush. This is the 1st time in franchise history that the Ravens have given up a 1st-round pick. Las Vegas not only gets Baltimore’s 2026 1st-round pick, but also gets their 2027 1st-round pick. The Raiders will now have 2 picks in the 1st round in the next 2 NFL drafts.
Maxx Crosby, since being drafted in 2019, is ranked 6th in sacks with a total of 69.5 sacks. Only Myles Garett and TJ Watt, and a few others have more sacks than Maxx Crosby since 2019. Crosby’s best season in his career was in 2023, where he tallied a career high of 14.5 sacks. During his career, Crosby never had a season in which he had fewer than 7 sacks in a season. In 2026, Maxx Crosby has a chance to continue his dominance as he moves from Las Vegas to Baltimore.
Baltimore Ravens Received:
Maxx Crosby
Baltimore needed help on defense, particularly on the pass rush and getting to the quarterback and sacking them. In 2025, the Ravens ranked at the bottom of the league in sacks with only 30 by the defense. Defensive Tackle Travis Jones led the defense in sacks, with only 5 in 2025. And the only other player with more than 4 sacks was outside LB Tavius Robinson, with 4.5. Now, with the addition of Maxx Crosby, the Ravens’ pass rush has the potential to be more dominant in 2026.
The Ravens, throughout their 31-year history, have never traded a 1st-round pick until now, with the Maxx Crosby trade. Baltimore has also been a team that consistently drafts and develops players rather than trading picks for veterans. This trade has broken tradition for the Ravens, as they traded a 1st-round pick in the NFL Draft. Usually, the Ravens would trade back to acquire more picks, but now the Ravens are swinging for the fences. This trade by the Ravens could end up being a home run trade, or it could be a strikeout trade.
Las Vegas Raiders Received:
Baltimore’s 2026 1st-round pick
Baltimore’s 2027 1st-round pick
The Las Vegas Raiders say goodbye to one of their franchise players in Maxx Crosby as the rebuild begins. Trading Maxx Crosby is the first big step for the Raiders as they move into the future under a new regime. The Raiders this offseason are entering 2026 with a brand-new head coach and a new franchise quarterback. Vegas hired Seattle’s OC Klint Kubiak, and the Raiders will most likely select Fernando Mendoza with the 1st pick in the NFL draft. Now that Maxx Crosby has been traded to the Baltimore Ravens, Vegas has a clean slate for the future.
The Raiders in 2026 and 2027 will have a total of 4 1st-round picks, their own and Baltimore’s. Also, the Raiders will have the most cap space of any team, with $121 million. Which means, they can go out and sign a few free agents to boost their offense and defense for 2026. With Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers in place, the Raiders will need to focus on the O-Line. The defense will need the most help following the trade of Maxx Crosby, particularly on the pass rush and D-Line.
The Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders made a massive blockbuster trade of Maxx Crosby. Baltimore, after this trade, is going all in with this move to help Lamar Jackson win a Super Bowl. Las Vegas is thinking about two things right now, and also thinking about the future with this trade. On paper, I think this looks like a fair trade for both teams going into the offseason and the draft. And if both teams succeed with this trade, it could be a win-win.
