The Baltimore Ravens must find a premier pass rusher this offseason. They may have the perfect opportunity to acquire one in Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
It sounds like the situation surrounding the five-time Pro Bowler isn’t getting any better. Crosby became disgruntled late in the 2025 season when he was shut down due to a knee injury he had been battling since Week 7. He wanted to play through it, but was ultimately ruled out for the final two games of the year. The injury required surgery in January.
Since that situation, trade rumors have risen from the smoke. Crosby brushed off those rumors in his interviews during Super Bowl weekend, but recent reports don’t exactly signal that his relationship is getting any better. According to Jason La Canfora on SportsBoom, Crosby told Las Vegas minority owner Tom Brady that he’s done with the Raiders. La Canfora reported:
“Crosby's representatives have begun informing high-ranking officials from other NFL teams that the All Pro, livid over being asked to sit out the end of the regular season despite believing he was healthy enough to play, will never suit up for the Raiders again and is intent on playing elsewhere in 2026.”
“‘He told (Raiders owner and future Hall of Fame quarterback) Tom Brady he will never play for the Raiders again,’ said one NFL general manager who would have interest in trading for Crosby.”
If this is true, general manager Eric DeCosta needs to be on the phone with the Raiders this offseason.
Latest update in Maxx Crosby saga should put him on Ravens’ radar
This report has yet to be confirmed by other sources, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter has backed up that Crosby isn’t entirely happy with the Raiders right now. On Monday, he provided an update on the ongoing saga between the two parties on the Pat McAfee Show.
“I think Maxx isn’t overly thrilled to be there right now. I don’t exactly know what he did or didn’t say to Tom Brady,” Schefter said. “I think there’s a feeling around the league that he would like to be traded…The Raiders prefer not to trade him. Now, it depends on how dug in and headstrong Maxx is in this particular situation.”
“I was told it would take a Micah Parsons-type package to even consider dealing Maxx Crosby,” he added.
So the door isn’t wide open, but it could be cracked just a little bit. And DeCosta could kick that door in with a lucrative trade offer. The Ravens front office doesn’t make many blockbuster deals, but this is a player who would undoubtedly be worth the price. He has 69.5 career sacks and has been a consistent factor off the edge since entering the NFL in 2019.
A Micah Parsons-level return would be tough to match, but it’s a Super Bowl-winning type of move. In the Parsons deal, the Dallas Cowboys received first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
DeCosta loves his draft picks, but that strategy hasn’t paid off in a Lombardi Trophy since the 2012 season. At some point, they have to shift their philosophy, and when a player like Crosby comes along as a potential trade target, that’s the perfect reason to move those picks. The pass rush was unbelievably bad in 2025, totaling just 30 sacks. The Ravens need a player like Crosby who can immediately make their defensive front a scary threat.
Baltimore hasn’t had a legitimate, All-Pro-level threat off the edge since Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. Matthew Judon was the last contributor to be a consistent pass rusher. Since then, it seems like the team has turned to a revolving door of veterans. That needs to change.
Sure, Mike Green was promising in his rookie year, and he earned a ton of praise from his teammates. He definitely hit his stride in the second half of the season, but the Ravens cannot wait for his development to become the lead guy. While he occupies one side of the defensive line, they need a proven star on the other. The front office should be pressuring the Raiders to get that in Crosby.
Ultimately, Las Vegas could lock the door on any Crosby trade talks with a new contract extension, similar to what went down with Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns. However, there’s a long way to go. A lot can change with a few trade conversations. Draft picks talk in this league.