The Las Vegas Raiders lost out on two first-round picks when the Baltimore Ravens decided to back out of the trade for Maxx Crosby. Despite that, the Raiders seem mostly happy with their offseason.
Trading Crosby would’ve left a massive hole in the defense, so keeping him around alleviated at least one potential need. The biggest reason the Raiders agreed to trade Crosby was that he wanted out.
He has seen just one winning season since joining the team in 2019. However, after the Ravens decided they didn’t want him, that seemed to soften his stance on the Raiders. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes Crosby will be in Las Vegas in Week 1, but won’t rule out a future trade.
“I think Crosby will start the season with the Raiders. I also think that the Raiders and Crosby intend to move forward together for the foreseeable future,” Breer wrote.
“But is there a possibility that Crosby could be traded in November? Yeah, it’s not impossible. Here’s the hypothetical scenario: Nine games in, Crosby’s crushing it, looking healthy and the Raiders, while showing promise, are 1–8. At that point, the Raiders wouldn’t have to shop him; the calls would come in. And as strong as the 2027 draft promises to be, maybe someone would give them something to think about.”
Which Teams Could Still Be Interested in Crosby?
The Ravens won’t be getting back in the Crosby mix, but there will be other teams keeping an eye on the situation. The Los Angeles Rams are a team that loves to trade for proven veterans. They could be in the mix for Crosby.
The Dallas Cowboys are another team that has shown interest, as have the Chicago Bears. If Crosby gets back on the market and is healthy, there will be a lot of teams interested.
Buccaneers Likely Won’t Be in the Mix
One team that likely won’t be in the market for Crosby is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. General manager Jason Licht recently spoke about how he was happy that the Ravens trade fell through.
“Then I think going back to free agency when, you know, the Raiders-Ravens trade didn’t work out, I think that in some way I’d like to think helped us a little bit. I was a little afraid if the Raiders made that trade, Spytek, he and I are very close, he was taunting me a little bit, hey, we’re sitting right in front of you, I know what you need,” Licht said on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “And then, you know, Crosby goes back to the Raiders, then the Ravens are sitting there again with their pick, and I know they love their edge rushers, too, so that had me nervous. They took Vega, which is an awesome pick, you know, they need offensive linemen. Maybe the fact that the Raiders signed Linderbaum helped us get Rueben. We’re all trying to help each other out here, especially the people that are good friends, so thanks, Spytek.”
Licht and Spytek are close, but it’s probably for the best that they don’t work together on a Crosby trade.
Insider Predicts Where Maxx Crosby Will Play in Week 1