After five Pro Bowls, Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders are done. A massive Friday night move officially marks the end of the franchise icon's tenure.
The Baltimore Ravens agreed to send two first-round draft picks to Las Vegas in exchange for Crosby, marking the first time in the franchise's 31-year history that they have surrendered such capital for a veteran, on Friday. While the official news broke late in the evening via Adam Schefter, the reaction from Crosby’s camp was immediate. His brother, Myles, shared an image of Maxx in a purple #98 jersey flanked by Lamar Jackson and Kyle Hamilton, adding three fire emojis to signify his approval of his brother escaping a rebuilding team for a Super Bowl contender under head coach Jesse Minter.
Maxx Crosby's brother gives 🔥🔥🔥🔥 as DE exits rebuilding Raiders for Jesse Minter's squad@Raiders @Ravens @NFL pic.twitter.com/8LLpErbVS9
— MOHAMMAD ASIF ANSARI (@WriterMohammad) March 7, 2026
Lamar Jackson seemingly knew about the blockbuster trade before it happened
According to reports, it appears the Ravens' franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson, had inside knowledge long before the media caught wind of the transaction.
At 2:09 PM EST - more than seven hours before the news officially broke - Jackson tweeted a solitary smirk emoji (😏). The post playfully infers that Jackson was already celebrating the acquisition of the elite edge rusher while the rest of the league remained in the dark.
The deal was finalized because Baltimore was willing to go where the Dallas Cowboys would not. According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys offered a first and second-round pick, but the Ravens won the bidding war:
"As soon as it became clear that the Baltimore Ravens were willing to go for two first-round picks, this deal had to happen,” Rapoport said. “You wondered if Mark Davis would do right by Maxx Crosby to send one of his loyal soldiers on the way to the Baltimore Ravens to a good team, a functional team. He did."
"A blockbuster deal helped, of course, by the Dallas being willing to offer a first round pick and more for Maxx Crosby," Ian Rapoport pic.twitter.com/N22K3bzVKo
— MOHAMMAD ASIF ANSARI (@WriterMohammad) March 7, 2026
The biggest takeaway, however, is what this signals for the Raiders under new owner Tom Brady. NFL analyst Louis Riddick described the move as a total organizational reset for a team that has sunk to the bottom of the standings.
"From Vegas's side... Tom Brady, the owner, they figure, look, this is a reset," Riddick said during an episode of ESPN SC. "This is a full reset out there in Las Vegas. They need assets to fill what is a myriad of holes on this roster."
Riddick asserted that while General Manager John Spytek had claimed he wanted to keep Crosby, the reality of the roster dictated the move. With the trade, the Raiders now hold the No. 1 and No. 14 overall picks in the 2026 draft.
Crosby will have one of the biggest tasks of his career so far, restoring the identity of a Baltimore defense that recorded its lowest sack total in 15 seasons last year.
While Riddick observed that the Ravens had "lost what their identity has been in the past," and emphasized that Crosby must justify the price tag:
"Maxx now has to go in there, and number one change the mentality of that team as far as being the kind of player that can really set the tone from a football character standpoint, and then, quite honestly, he has to produce. I mean, two number ones is a hefty price to pay for a defensive end."
Crosby, who has recorded 360 career pressures since 2019, will now join a unit featuring All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith, looking to improve a defense that finished with a meager 28 percent pressure rate last season.