What Maxx Crosby Trade Means for Ravens, Raiders Moving Forward

The five-time Pro Bowler is heading to Baltimore.

Maxx Crosby is headed to Baltimore. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Maxx Crosby is on the move.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Raiders are trading star defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Ravens. It will be Baltimore's next two first-round picks—including the No. 14 selection in the 2026 NFL draft—headed to Las Vegas in exchange for the star pass rusher.

The Raiders are trading DE Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, sources confirm. Vegas worked all week to find the right deal, Baltimore meets the price (though Vegas initially wanted a player in the trade too).

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 7, 2026

Crosby, 28, had become increasingly frustrated with the direction of the Raiders in recent months—as evidenced by his reported storming out of Las Vegas' team headquarters after being unhappy with the way the team handled what was ultimately a season-ending knee injury.

He now heads to an AFC contender while his former squad continues a rebuild—bolstered by two first-round picks in the upcoming draft.

Here’s how the deal shakes out for both squads, and what it means moving forward.

Ravens: Jesse Minter’s defense adds an immediate presence off the edge

Maxx Crosby is headed to Baltimore. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Baltimore is in somewhat of a pseudo-rebuild after parting ways with longtime coach John Harbaugh and hiring Jesse Minter in late January. Minter, 42, is a lifetime defensive coach and will now add an elite defender to that side of the football heading into his first season leading the franchise.

VERDERAME: Maxx Crosby Trade Grades: Raiders and Ravens Ace Blockbuster Deal

Crosby is a two-time second-team All-Pro who's tallied 10-plus sacks in three of the last four seasons and led the NFL in tackles-for-loss in both 2022 and '23. He'll bring a dominant presence off the edge to a Ravens defense that sacked opposing quarterbacks just 30 times—the third-fewest in the league—in 2025 while registering the fourth-worst pressure rate (28.4%).

Long story short, defense has returned to the forefront in the AFC North.

Raiders: GM John Spytek & Co. add additional draft capital to rebuild franchise

The Raiders have some work to do. The Maxx Crosby trade only keeps things moving. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s a complete teardown in Las Vegas.

After posting a brutal 3–14 record in 2025, the Raiders earned the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, fired coach Pete Carroll, released quarterback Geno Smith—and have now added two additional first-round selections as they attempt to bring the franchise back to prominence.

It’s become abundantly clear that the team plans to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the top of April’s draft, and this latest move—shipping out arguably their top talent in Crosby—not only signals the 22-year-old will likely begin his career on the bench, but shows that this is a full rebuild, not a retool, as Las Vegas looks to ultimately return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

The Raiders now own two first-round picks in each of the next two drafts.

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