Las Vegas Raiders Were Absolutely Keeping Maxx Crosby — Until They Didn't, And Now He's A Baltimore Raven

Remember when John Spytek was asked if he expects edge rusher Maxx Crosby to be on the team in 2026? That was just last week, and the Las Vegas Raiders general manager said, "I do, yes." 

"Maxx is an elite player," Spytek said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. "And I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. And it's hard to build a great team without elite players."

Yeah, forget that.

Owner Mark Davis and general manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Raiders GM Loved Crosby Until He Didn't

Spytek agreed to trade Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. The deal will be official next week.

And the Ravens, with new defensive-minded coach Jesse Minter taking over for fired John Harbaugh, gave up a mint to make the deal.

The Baltimore Ravens are sending the Raiders two first-round picks for Crosby.

The price for Crosby more or less matches what the Green Bay Packers gave up for Micah Parsons when they gave up two first-rounders plus defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season.

That set the market even if Crosby is two years older.

And, strangely enough, the Cowboys were among the teams that seemed mostly willing to come close to that price point as they were also bidding for Crosby.

Former Las Vegas Raider Maxx Crosby. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

Crosby Was In High Demand

This came down to the Ravens beating out the Cowboys for Crosby, although multiple teams were interested in the edge rusher earlier in the process.

And what does this all mean?  

Start with the fact Crosby, who wanted out of Las Vegas since the end of last season, is getting his wish. He handled it professionally. Kept his mouth mostly shut and let the process play out. Obviously, this is in his favor because, this just in, he's going from a perennial loser to a perennial winner.

The Raiders? Well, they're rebuilding. Their new picks come in April with the Ravens sending the No. 14 overall pick, and then Baltimore's first-rounder in 2027.

The Raiders didn't quite get the Cowboys package because they didn't get a player as a sweetener like the Cowboys did. But they are obviously satisfied because, despite what Spytek said, they recognized Crosby had all but checked out after they shut him down prematurely (in his mind) before the end of the 2025 season.

Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Were The Ravens One Player Away?

The question remains: what moved the Ravens to make this move? They typically guard their draft picks like an attack dog guards a meaty bone.

Do they believe they're one player removed from winning big time after an unspectacular 8-9 record last season in which they missed the playoffs? 

And are they so comfortable Crosby will be an answer to their defensive needs that they're willing to mortgage part of their future and sizable salary cap space for the move?

Crosby finished with 10 sacks last season, and it was the third time in four years he's reached the double-digit sack mark.

So, yes, he's valuable. So much so that last year, Crosby signed a deal that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, at $35.5 million per year. Yes, that deal got surpassed multiple times afterward, but it remains in place.

Will Crosby be happy to remain on that deal, or will he want a raise to move across the country? One supposes that's already been discussed. 

There are obviously questions about this entire scenario, but two things are certain:

This was truly a blockbuster deal.

And never trust an NFL general manager when he seems certain about, well, anything.