The Baltimore Ravens may be the most assertive of the offseason thus far. They made the harsh call to fire a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach in John Harbaugh, and they’ve followed that up with a franchise-first deal by acquiring edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders.
After such a nightmarish end to a horrific 2025 season, they are going all-in for 2026. They’re going to do whatever it takes to finally capture the Lombardi Trophy. They know the time is now to reach that goal in the Lamar Jackson era.
The Ravens aren’t the only team to showcase this aggressive approach. One of their AFC rivals, the Buffalo Bills, also attacked the trade market, acquiring wide receiver DJ Moore. While the Bills have certainly improved this offseason, it’s pretty safe to say that Baltimore one-upped them with their Crosby deal.
Baltimore Ravens outdo Buffalo Bills with early offseason Maxx Crosby splash
The Ravens and Bills have had an eerily similar offseason up to this point. Both had extremely successful head coaches for the past nine-plus years that they opted to fire, and both brought in young first-year head coaches, Jesse Minter at 42 years old and Joe Brady at 36 years old.
Now, the similarities are following them into their roster building process, but Baltimore has set the record straight with the bigger and better move, which has much more potential to pay off.
Buffalo got Josh Allen his big-play receiver in DJ Moore. It was one of their highest priorities this offseason, and they did well to get it done. However, they gave up a lot for a player who stepped back in 2025.
They sent the Chicago Bears a second-round pick for Moore, and although the Bills also got a fifth-rounder in return, Moore was inconsistent in 2025. He posted career lows in receptions and receiving yards with 50 catches and 682 yards in 17 starts. That contract also isn’t too pretty, as he gets paid around $23.5 million per year through the 2029 season.
Maybe Brady’s offense can bring him back to life, but it seems like the 28-year-old is past his prime.
On the other hand, the Ravens got one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, still in the midst of his prime. Giving up two first-round picks is obviously a very hefty price to pay, but that’s the price of doing business when you’re going after a star edge rusher.
Crosby also brings the benefit of being just as dominant a run stopper as he is a pass rusher. To go along with 10 sacks in 2025, he added 28 tackles for loss. That relentless play will undoubtedly spark something in a defense that saw endless struggles last year.
Regardless, we’ll have to wait until the regular season to see which trade pays off in a bigger way. Both teams are obviously sick of coming up short, and they are starting to push the right buttons in making their Super Bowl dreams a reality.