Maxx Crosby Headed to Ravens in Massive Two–First-Round Pick Trade

Maxx Crosby's time with the Raiders comes to an end after seven seasons and now he will play for the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.

Maxx Crosby Headed to Ravens in Massive Two–First-Round Pick Trade

Maxx Crosby (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Maxx Crosby has been traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027.
  • Crosby, an All-Pro defensive end, had a successful tenure with the Raiders, recording 73 tackles and 10 sacks last season.
  • The trade comes as the Ravens seek to improve their historically poor defense, which averaged only 1.8 sacks per game in 2025.

Quarterbacks of the AFC West can breathe a sigh of relief because “Mad Max” Maxx Crosby is no longer part of the Las Vegas Raiders. On Friday, Crosby was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a couple of first-round draft picks.

Crosby’s tenure in Vegas was nearing its conclusion. After Pete Carroll‘s regime benched him to acquire the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, rumors began to swirl that the All-Pro defensive end may quit the Raiders, selected during the fourth round in 2019.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweeted that the Raiders received 2026 and 2027 first-round draft picks in exchange for sending Crosby to Baltimore.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and New England Patriots were all eager to trade for Crosby. After a week-long negotiation, the Ravens eventually outbid their competitors.

Crosby became the second big name to leave the Raiders in the last few days. Earlier, the Raiders released quarterback Geno Smith after starting for just one year in Sin City.

Ravens players react to the Maxx Crosby trade

The Ravens built a system over the years centered around top pass rushers. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Michael McCrary, Haloti Ngata, the list of Ravens defensive legends is long. But 2025 was a whole different story. The Ravens’ defense was historically bad, averaging just 1.8 sacks per game (fifth worst in the league) according to Teamrankings.com, a steep drop from 3.1 in 2024.

Maxx Crosby Headed to Ravens in Massive Two–First-Round Pick Trade
Maxx Crosby (Image via IMAGO)

Fans were hoping the higher-ups would trade for or draft an elite pass rusher during this window to take some pressure off Lamar Jackson and the offense. Crosby fits the Ravens’ mold perfectly. His numbers speak for themselves. Despite not playing the final two games last year, Crosby racked up 73 total tackles, 10.0 sacks, a career high 28 tackles for loss, 6 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, and one interception.

With veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy set to enter free agency, Crosby’s experience will come in handy.

Since entering the league, Crosby has made 110 appearances, racking up 439 combined tackles, 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss (most during that time), 11 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble returns.

Maxx Crosby became a minority owner of an English Soccer club

A couple of weeks before his trade to Baltimore, Crosby made a massive career move. Crosby bought shares in English Premier League side Leeds United FC. He joined other familiar faces, including basketball star Larry Nance, pro golfer Jordan Spieth, and Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps.

That said, the San Francisco 49ers Enterprise, led by CEO Jed York, still owns a majority of the Whites. Speaking with talkSPORT, York said that Leeds United is among the biggest brands in all of the sports.

Our goal was to make sure we put Leeds back on the map and where they belong. Part of the process is making sure we keep the essence of Elland Road intact and make it bigger and better. And truly for us, to stay in the Premier League for the foreseeable future.

York told talkSPORT

Leeds is currently 15th in the Premier League after losing two straight games against Manchester City and Sunderland. Their next fixture is a massive FA Cup tie against Championship side Norwich City. Crosby is unlikely to attend the game in the British Isles because he will be busy moving his belongings to Baltimore and signing a new contract.

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