Mike Green Instant Big Winner of Ravens' Maxx Crosby Trade

The Baltimore Ravens fan base is still celebrating the biggest trade the franchise has ever made and the massive swing they took.

Baltimore traded two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby to give the team the elite pass rusher they have been waiting for years. Crosby has 69.5 sacks in seven years, coming off a 10-sack season in 2025.

With the Ravens' defense now having an elite edge rusher to complement a unit that is being retooled, it feels as though things are only going to look up with everyone getting better on defense. One player, though, is going to benefit way more from the trade than anyone else on the roster.

Mike Green might be the biggest winner from the Maxx Crosby trade

The Ravens selected edge rusher Mike Green in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft to be the next great pass rusher they needed. While there were some risks in selecting Green, it was considered a big steal in the draft as he was projected to go in the first round.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Mike Green | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Images

It turned out to be a quiet rookie season for Green, as he showed flashes of that potential but did not make as much of an impact in other games, finishing with 41 tackles, 14 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in 17 games. Pro Football Focus had him down for 34 pressures and 20 hurries, and he was graded out at a 46.3, ranking 109th out of 115 qualified edge rushers.

Crosby's entering the picture will only help Green in a multitude of ways. One, it gives the Ravens a mentor for Green to learn from, and who better than one of the top five edge rushers in the NFL?

It should also free up some opportunities for Green to get more sacks on the quarterback. Many offenses are going to key in on Crosby and double-team him, so he doesn't get to the quarterback. Green should have plenty of opportunities to eat and pick up more sacks.

The problem with last year's team was that it wasn't happening at a consistent rate, as the unit recorded only 30 sacks. Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones was the leading sacker on the team with five, so Crosby just helped out an edge rusher room that needed it.

Dre'Mont Jones and Kyle Van Noy are free agents, and there haven't been any signs that they are going to come back. Green will have to step up in a starting role and be seen as the guy who will help Crosby get this defense back to how it was two decades ago.

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