In the biggest trade in franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens are acquiring five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders in a blockbuster deal just ahead of free agency. Baltimore will send Las Vegas first-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 NFL drafts in exchange for the star pass rusher. The trade is contingent on Crosby passing a physical and cannot be finalized until the new league year officially opens Wednesday.
The move represents a dramatic departure from Baltimore’s long-standing roster-building philosophy. It marks the first time in the Ravens’ 31-year history that the organization has traded a first-round pick for a veteran player. Baltimore had the No. 14 selection in the upcoming draft and opted to leverage premium draft capital to address its most glaring weakness after a disappointing 8–9 season that ended without a playoff berth and led to the dismissal of longtime head coach John Harbaugh.
Crosby immediately upgrades a Ravens pass rush that struggled mightily in 2025. Baltimore finished with just 30 sacks, its fewest total in 15 years and the third-lowest mark in the league. No edge rusher topped 4.5 sacks, with tackle Travis Jones leading the team with five. Crosby, by contrast, posted 10 sacks in 15 games last season and has never recorded fewer than 7.5 sacks in any of his seven NFL seasons. He has now reached double-digit sacks four times in his career.
Drafted in the fourth round by the Raiders in 2019, Crosby developed into the face of the franchise and one of the NFL’s most disruptive defenders. Since entering the league, he has amassed 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, and a league-best 360 quarterback pressures over that span. His relentless motor and durability have made him one of the most feared edge rushers in football, despite playing on Raiders teams that reached the postseason just once during his tenure.
For Baltimore, Crosby becomes the most accomplished pass rusher to join the franchise since Terrell Suggs. The Ravens have long prioritized building through the draft and were previously hesitant to part with premium picks, with their most significant recent trade being a second-rounder for linebacker Roquan Smith in 2022. This deal signals a clear shift toward urgency as the Ravens look to reestablish themselves as contenders under new head coach Jesse Minter, who will also call defensive plays.
Crosby, who turns 29 in August, is recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus that ended his 2025 season, but the injury is not expected to impact his availability for 2026. For a Ravens team searching for a game-changing defensive presence to push them back into Super Bowl contention for the first time since 2012, the acquisition of Crosby represents a bold and defining swing.
Update: 03/10/2026 The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of the trade for Maxx Crosby (DE).
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) March 11, 2026
