The Los Angeles Rams ended up making one of the NFL’s biggest defensive swings of the offseason when they traded for Myles Garrett.
Before that deal came together, though, a superstar edge rusher apparently had a chance to land in Los Angeles.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Rams pursued Maxx Crosby after the Las Vegas Raiders’ agreed-upon trade with the Baltimore Ravens collapsed in March. Crosby, however, told the Rams and other interested teams that he didn’t want to be traded.
That revelation adds more details to Los Angeles’ eventual pursuit of Garrett. The Rams were clearly willing to spend heavily for an elite pass rusher, but Crosby himself closed one potential path before the team moved in another direction.
Crosby Closed Door on Rams After Ravens Deal Fell Apart
Crosby appeared headed out of Las Vegas six months ago. The Raiders agreed to send him to Baltimore for first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, a massive return for a premier defensive player.
The deal unraveled before it could become official. Crosby underwent a physical after traveling to Baltimore, and the Ravens backed out because of medical concerns tied to his knee. Crosby had undergone surgery in January after missing the end of the 2025 season with a torn meniscus.
That opened the door for other teams to call the Raiders again. According to Rapoport, the Rams were among the clubs that tried to revive trade discussions.
Crosby had other ideas.
Rather than continue exploring destinations after the Baltimore situation fell apart, Crosby made it clear to interested clubs that he wanted to remain with the Raiders. So, the Rams never reached the point of completing a blockbuster that would have brought the five-time Pro Bowler to Los Angeles.
The pursuit still says enough about the Rams’ offseason approach. The franchise has rarely been shy about turning premium draft capital into legitimate stars, and Los Angeles was evidently searching for a game-changing presence off the edge.
Crosby entered the season with 69.5 career sacks and four double-digit sack seasons. He also produced 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025 despite the knee issue that later became central to Baltimore’s decision.
Rams’ Crosby Interest Preceded Garrett Blockbuster
Los Angeles ended up landing an even more decorated pass rusher.
The Rams acquired Garrett from the Cleveland Browns on June 1, sending Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick to Cleveland. The move gave defensive coordinator Chris Shula a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year who had just set the league’s single-season sack record with 23.
The sequence makes Sunday’s Crosby report especially interesting. Los Angeles didn’t suddenly decide in June that it wanted to make a huge investment in an edge defender. The Rams had pursued Crosby months earlier, only to have the player shut down the possibility.
Garrett now anchors a front that also includes Byron Young and the returned Aaron Donald, giving Los Angeles the kind of star power it was clearly chasing throughout the offseason.
There’s also some level of what-if attached to the Crosby talks. Had Crosby been willing to leave Las Vegas after the Ravens deal failed, the Rams’ defensive makeover could have looked dramatically different.
Instead, Los Angeles stayed aggressive and found its blockbuster addition in Garrett.
New Details Emerge in LA Rams’ Maxx Crosby Trade Push Before $160 Million Blockbuster