After speculation earlier today that the Ravens were making a push for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a deal has reportedly been made. In line with Adam Schefter of ESPN, Las Vegas has agreed to send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens’ first-round picks for the subsequent two years. The trade can’t be officially processed until the brand new league yr starts next week, however the agreement appears to be in place.
It had been reported that the Ravens were considered one of just a few teams making a robust push for Crosby, and about half an hour ago, NFL insider Jason La Canfora relayed that the Ravens weren’t just interested here, they were “desperate for an impact (defensive) lineman.” It was actually on this post from La Canfora that it was first reported that Baltimore was willing to deal two first-round picks.
That news, by itself, was headline-worthy. A franchise notorious for the best way it builds through the draft, the Ravens had never — of their short, 30-year history — traded a future first-round pick — let alone two — in exchange for a player. The closest such situation got here all of the back in 2003, the one other time the team gave up a future first-round pick. They gave their 2004 first-rounder to the Patriots to be able to move back up into the first-round, after having taken Arizona State record-setting pass rusher Terrell Suggs at No. 10 overall, to pick Cal quarterback Kyle Boller with the nineteenth pick that yr.
This could speak volumes about how badly the Ravens felt they needed to accumulate Crosby. It was only a yr ago that Baltimore finished just behind Denver for probably the most sacks within the NFL because of breakout performances from veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh who combined together to take down the quarterback 22.5 times. This yr, the Ravens held the third-lowest sack total within the league. Van Noy missed a pair games and Oweh was traded to Los Angeles after only five, however the two defenders’ sack total in Baltimore this yr was 2.0.
Even perhaps more detrimental to the Ravens’ pass rush in 2025 was the season-ending lack of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The second-team All-Pro tackle suffered a Week 2 neck injury that not only sidelined him for the rest of the yr but additionally put Madubuike’s long-term future in query. It’s been six months for the reason that disruptive lineman went down, and with the team still not capable of offer a positive update on the matter, reports of Baltimore’s desperation for an elite defensive lineman and today’s subsequent trade may spell out the more serious for Madubuike.
With the longer term of the Ravens pass rush looking as dour because it ever has, what higher gift could latest head coach Jesse Minter be presented with than Crosby? Minter’s defense is Los Angeles last yr saw way more success than Baltimore’s, even getting 7.5 sacks out of Oweh, who was sackless before getting traded. Minter also got to see Crosby up close and private 3 times during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. One has to assume Minter had some influence on the choice to pursue the AFC West star.
Trade interest in Crosby dates all the best way back to 2023. Having just signed a four-year, $94MM extension of his rookie contract, Crosby delivered a breakout season, notching 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. During one other lost season in Las Vegas, the vultures circled over Crosby across the trade deadline, however the Raiders rebuked all advances. In an effort to endorse then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the official job, the fiercely loyal Crosby threatened to request a trade should Pierce not be retained.
When the trade deadline rolled around the subsequent season, and Pierce’s 2-4 start as the complete head coach had the vultures circling again, the team needed to fight off trade inquiries once more. Within the offseason last yr, trade interest once more swirled around Crosby and the Raiders, but ultimately, the team signed him to a brand new three-year, $106.5MM extension keeping him under contract through the 2029 NFL season. For the third trade deadline in a row, though, Vegas needed to proceed to disclaim that Crosby was available.
Things took a turn for the more serious near the tip of the season when, in an try to secure their best likelihood on the No. 1 overall pick within the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders shut Crosby down for the ultimate two games of the regular season. In response to hearing his team’s decision, Crosby immediately exited the power, and it was reported that he would evaluate his future in Vegas. In line with Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that call by the Raiders “soured his belief that Las Vegas was the proper place for him.” Ever the loyal teammate who once had claimed hopes of ending his profession with the Raiders, Crosby didn’t publicize his trade requests because the Raiders muddied the waters to keep up leverage in trade negotiations, despite the fact that each side “knew that Crosby’s future was sealed back in mid-December.” 
A yr after having signed his extension, Crosby finally will get traded. It had been reported that the Raiders were in search of a Micah Parsons– or Khalil Mack-level package in exchange for Crosby. In regard to Parsons, that meant two first-round picks and an impact player, while Mack was traded — together with a second- and fifth-round pick — for 2 firsts-, a third-, and a sixth-round pick. There have been rumored contenders in Super Bowl participants Seattle and Recent England, but early thoughts were that the Parsons/Mack-like asking price was too high.
The Raiders didn’t feel a have to lower the value, though. They felt that, as interest in Crosby grew and the pressure to supply only a bit more continued to extend, someone would eventually meet the value they needed to listen to to tug the trigger. The Bears and Cowboys entered the fold, and it was disclosed that the Ravens joined the chase just a few days later. It simply got here right down to the undeniable fact that Ravens were the primary to breach the edge of two first-round picks, which was apparently, all of the Raiders were actually in search of. The Cowboys reportedly were only willing to offer a first- and second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite holding two Day 1 selections after the Parsons deal. In line with Russini, the Jaguars also attempted to get in the combo, but the dearth of a first-round pick this yr — from the trade as much as draft Travis Hunter — prevented them from putting together a competitive offer.
In exchange for finally making this trade, the Raiders have put themselves in excellent position for a reboot in 2026. They now hold the Nos. 1 and 14 picks within the upcoming draft, and based on Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the consequences of the Crosby trade and the eventual release of quarterback Geno Smith will put Las Vegas at a league-leading approximate $127MM in cap space. With a fresh staff under newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak and all signs pointing to the arrival of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the primary pick of the draft, the Raiders are as primed as they’ll ever be to make the turnaround of the century.