It turns out, “a lot can change in a year” is a cliché for a reason.
Exactly one year ago today, Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby posted a photo showing himself flexing while wearing an “Al Davis Just Win Baby” graphic tee. He had just signed a three-year extension with the Raiders that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at the time. All that money wasn’t enough to quell Crosby’s insatiable hunger to win. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game in 23 years and haven’t made the playoffs at all in four. So, Crosby grew restless.
Fast forward: Late Friday night, the Raiders traded Crosby, 28, to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for the Ravens’ 2026 and 2027 first-round draft picks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move marks the first time in the Ravens’ 31-year franchise history that they have spent a first-round pick to acquire a player via trade (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley).
Assuming the trade is finalized when the new league year begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. EST, Crosby will have his best chance at winning since entering the league in 2019. The Athletic‘s Vic Tafur reported that Crosby reacted accordingly.
“Crosby is giddy that he gets to play for a team that has had only two losing seasons and won three playoff games during his seven years in the league,” Tafur wrote. “Though he has had eight surgeries during that span - the most serious being one on his knee after the 2023 season and one on his ankle after 2024 - Crosby is expected to pass his physical with the Ravens next week.”
As of early Saturday, Crosby has yet to publicly comment on his move to Baltimore, though he has reposted a handful of goodbyes from his Raiders teammates to his Instagram Story. Crosby has been the face of the Raiders for years and, in many ways, personified the franchise.
“Maxx Crosby never made any of his trade requests public because of his relationship with Raiders owner Mark Davis and the fanbase,” The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported on Friday night. “The way that Las Vegas handled the end of Crosby's 2025 season soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him.”
With two games remaining in the 2025 season, the Raiders shut Crosby down. At the time, FOX’s Jay Glazer reported that Crosby “vehemently disagreed and has left the building.” Crosby underwent knee surgery in January. To Tafur’s point, Crosby has struggled to stay healthy over the past two years. He was limited to 12 games by an ankle injury in 2024 and dealt with a nagging meniscus injury in 2015. Despite that, Crosby put up 10 sacks, 28 tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hits, and one interception in 15 games for the 3-14 Raiders last season.
And despite the Raiders’ chronic franchise dysfunction, Crosby became one of the best pass rushers in the league. He has 69.5 career sacks, 278 solo tackles, 164 quarterback hits, and 133 tackles for loss since the Raiders took him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Those numbers translated into two Second Team All-Pro and five Pro Bowl nods. Now, Crosby will finally be able to test whether his individual excellence can translate into a Super Bowl.
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