After a trade that would have sent Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks, including No. 14 overall this year, fell through, the Raiders are now letting teams know where they stand on Crosby’s status ahead of the upcoming season.
Las Vegas Raiders Will Keep Maxx Crosby Following Failed Baltimore Ravens Trade
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, we now know what the Raiders’ intentions are with Crosby: nothing.
That’s right. With the deal with Baltimore falling through, the team will retain Crosby for the 2026 season.
“Per a league source, the Raiders are currently telling teams that defensive end Maxx Crosby won’t be traded, in the aftermath of the failed effort to ship him to the Ravens for a pair of first-round picks,” Florio said.
He also added another interesting nugget, revealing that he was told the Raiders didn’t want to trade Crosby, but the pass rusher wanted out.
Now Crosby, as Florio mentions, has publicly recommitted to the team, and he’s staying put.
The Raiders currently have Crosby under contract through 2029 after he signed a three-year, $106.5 million deal with $91.5 million in guarantees. His cap number for 2026, per Spotrac, is approximately $35.8 million, but in 2027, 2028, and 2029, that number falls below $30 million, which is manageable for them.
No, the Raiders won’t pick No. 14 overall this season. However, they still hold the No. 1 overall pick, and that will almost certainly be Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders need a quarterback upgrade in the worst way. Last season, Geno Smith finished 34th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric with a 68.6 grade.
Smith has since been shipped to the New York Jets, the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013.
What makes it even more likely is that the Raiders are interested in bringing in quarterback Kirk Cousins as a veteran addition who can help bring Mendoza along.
In addition to getting Crosby back, the Raiders have signed several free agents, including center Tyler Linderbaum, linebacker Nakobe Dean, linebacker Quay Walker, and defensive end Kwity Paye. They also re-signed defensive end Malcolm Koonce and cornerback Eric Stokes and added wide receiver Jalen Nailor and kicker Matt Gay.
Crosby will have more help on defense. The presumptive No. 1 overall pick, Mendoza, will have a fantastic center to work with, and he’ll have weapons such as tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty.
On top of all that, the Raiders’ new head coach is Klint Kubiak, who won a Super Bowl this past season as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator.
Perhaps Crosby’s return to the Raiders could be a positive for the franchise, despite not getting the two first-round picks.
