Maxx Crosby is back with the Raiders, due to the Ravens‘ controversial nixing of a blockbuster trade. While trade talks could reignite ahead of the draft or perhaps as far down the road as training camp, the All-Pro edge rusher has reaffirmed his commitment to the Raiders.
A lot of teams were in the combination for the star defender, however the Cowboys were viewed because the runners-up to the Ravens. Baltimore’s decision to offer up two first-round picks won the March trade derby — before all of it unraveled days later — but Dallas made an aggressive pursuit that involved just a few offers.
The Cowboys initially proposed a trade of Osa Odighizuwa and the second of their two first-round picks (No. 20) for Crosby, ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden reports, before sweetening the deal. After Las Vegas rejected the proposals with Odighizuwa, McFadden indicates Dallas submitted a deal including its top first-round selection (No. 12) to go together with a third-round pick. After the Raiders rejected that, the Cowboys submitted what’s believed to be their final proposal: No. 12 and a second-round pick.
Due to the Quinnen Williams deadline deal, the Cowboys don’t own a second-rounder this yr. The Raiders seemingly rejected a proposal of No. 12 and the Cowboys’ 2027 second-rounder. Understandably, the Ravens’ offer of two firsts made the Raiders’ decision easy.
Now that the Ravens backed out of the deal as a consequence of long-term concerns about Crosby’s knee, the Cowboys and other teams are free to make one other run at a trade. However the Raiders are unlikely to fetch two first-rounders for a player the Ravens — external skepticism in regards to the team’s motivations notwithstanding — failed on a physical.
Dallas considered moving back into the Crosby running after the failed trade, per McFadden, however the team has not made one other run here. Though, Jerry Jones said that door just isn’t closed. The Cowboys have been quite lively with high-profile D-line transactions over the past yr. They’ve gone from re-signing Odighizuwa (4 years, $80MM) to trading him to the 49ers for a third-round pick. That trade got here about because Dallas acquired Kenny Clark within the Micah Parsons deal and Williams months later. The Cowboys later reunited Clark with former Packers D-line mate Rashan Gary, who accepted a pay cut to facilitate the trade.
Gary and Crosby are in several leagues as pass rushers, with the previous coming up as a Green Bay cap-casualty candidate before the Pack found a trade taker. The Cowboys also re-signed Sam Williams and used a 2025 second-round pick on Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The team would obviously upgrade with Crosby opposite Gary in Christian Parker‘s recent 3-4 defense, but as our Ely Allen identified recently, Dallas bringing in a player Baltimore failed on a physical (as Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper consulted with the Ravens, though he didn’t make the ultimate call) stands to be a longer-odds proposition compared now that this information is out. A previous report also indicated the Cowboys are standing down.
Some within the Raiders’ constructing doubt the Ravens nixed the trade purely based on concerns in regards to the eighth-year veteran’s knee, per McFadden, who adds Baltimore had a “full understanding” of Crosby’s meniscus injury and rehab timeline before making the trade. Casting further doubt on the Ravens’ much-debated plan to accumulate Crosby and sign Trey Hendrickson, one GM (to place it mildly) doesn’t imagine Baltimore intended to pair each edge rushers, Jason La Canfora notes on Casino.org.
Other execs are skeptical regarding the Ravens’ decision, per McFadden, who indicates it’s believed the Raiders were transparent about Crosby’s rehab timeline — one long expected to last months, not weeks. But long-term concerns a few “degenerative” knee issue, somewhat than Crosby’s 2026 status, have been mentioned as the explanation for the trade being called off. The Ravens were hesitant to satisfy Hendrickson’s $40MM-per-year asking price, McFadden notes, joining others in that regard (teams viewed the ex-Bengal as more more likely to land $25-$27MM-per-year range, which is roughly where this wrapped). Hendrickson’s price coming down allowed the Ravens to pivot from Crosby quickly, inviting considerable scrutiny from across the league.
An irked Crosby was back on the Raiders’ facility early the subsequent morning, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer adds the longtime Las Vegas pillar appreciated each John Spytek and Klint Kubiak reaching out shortly after the failed trade. Joining our Adam La Rose on this assessment, Breer doesn’t anticipate the Raiders trading Crosby before Week 1. The veteran reporter views the trade deadline because the more logical reevaluation point. By that time, Crosby (29 in August) could have had a probability to display full health after an expected recovery from a Jan. 7 meniscus surgery.
Moreover, some within the agent community viewed the Ravens’ conservative status — having never traded a first-round pick for a veteran — as a reason the Raiders must have been leery here. The chance for the Ravens so as to add Hendrickson without giving up two firsts has called many to cite this for example of a company getting cold feet, and the physical not going down until Tuesday put each teams in a bind as a consequence of free agency’s peak hours unfolding before that time.
Probably the most notable Raven or Raider transaction to occur in that point brought Tyler Linderbaum to Las Vegas on a three-year, $81MM deal (a pact essentially coming fully guaranteed) that set a record for all interior O-line accords. The Raiders may not have signed each Malcolm Koonce (one yr, $11MM) and Kwity Paye (three years, $48MM) had they known Crosby would find yourself staying, McFadden adds. Though, the team has run into countless trouble finding complementary Crosby rushers. Perhaps this snafu could prove helpful on that front.
While Crosby going from requesting a trade to being recommitted to the Raiders represents an enchanting development — especially with Vegas not initially searching for to trade him — more departure rumors will undoubtedly return in some unspecified time in the future. However the Raiders may now have to see their best player rebuild his trade value. That might definitely result in a Crosby-Paye-Koonce-Tyree Wilson EDGE setup in place to open the season.