The NFL officially released its schedule for the 2026 season on Thursday night, and with that came the long string of teams trolling one another in their release videos. That included the Cincinnati Bengals, who trolled the Baltimore Ravens for their failed trade for Maxx Crosby.
By now, that story has been well told. The Ravens offered the Las Vegas Raiders two first-round picks for Crosby, which they took. However, once Crosby landed in Baltimore, they backed out of the trade over his physical.
So, in the video, the Bengals made sure to subtly bring up that failed trade, saying, “We’re division rivals, you can’t back out of this one.”
They show Joe Burrow hugging Maxx Crosby as the narrator says “We’re division rivals, you can’t back out of this one.” 😏🤣😅
The Bengals are going to get two shots at the Ravens this season. That includes, for the fifth season in a row, playing Baltimore in primetime. Over the last four years, Cincinnati is just 2-6 against Baltimore and 1-3 in those primetime games. Of course, there’s a major change this year, as for the first time in that stretch, it’s the Bengals who will be hosting the primetime matchup.
The Ravens might also argue they got the last laugh in the Crosby move. Baltimore would pivot to signing Trey Hendrickson, who had previously been a star for the Bengals.
What to Know About the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2026 Schedule
The full-length NFL schedule release video that the Cincinnati Bengals put out is over two minutes long. It was initially posted to the team’s social media accounts.
Within the schedule this season for the Bengals, there are a few interesting quirks that are worth taking note of. Two of the most notable quirks stem from the team’s trip to Madrid in Week 9 to play the Atlanta Falcons.
Following that trip to Europe, the Bengals won’t have a bye week. Instead, they’ll return home for back-to-back primetime games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders, respectively. Their primetime game against the Ravens doesn’t come until New Year’s Eve, a Thursday night.
Despite that, the Bengals have very little travel compared to other NFL teams. In terms of air miles, the Bengals will only travel 15,177 during the 2026 season. 23 other teams around the NFL will have to spend more time in the air.
The Bengals Also Made a Push to Trade for Maxx Crosby
The Bengals are well within their rights to troll a division rival over the failed Maxx Crosby trade. That goes with the territory of an NFL schedule release. What’s interesting, though, is that Cincinnati also made a push to add Crosby this offseason.
The defensive line and pass rush have been issues in recent seasons for the Bengals. So, they were looking for ways to address it. Crosby seemed to make a lot of sense there.
It was reported that the Bengals explored trading their No. 10 overall pick for Crosby. However, the Raiders wanted the same deal the Ravens backed out of. That was for two first-round picks. So, instead, the Bengals pivoted to using that No. 10 overall pick to trade for Dexter Lawrence.
Lawrence and Crosby aren’t the same player, and they’re not trying to be. Crosby is a high-motor pass rusher, while Lawrence is a massive presence on the interior of the defensive line. Regardless, they were both needs Cincinnati was looking to fill.
Bengals Troll Ravens, Maxx Crosby For Failed Trade in NFL Schedule Release Video