With the Klint Kubiak era underway in Las Vegas, the Raiders are moving on from a cornerstone piece before free agency begins.
Las Vegas is trading five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Ravens in exchange for Baltimore’s No. 14 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a 2027 first-round pick, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Friday night, per sources.
The deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
A Crosby trade has been anticipated, and the Ravens have won the sweepstakes. The Cowboys were among those interested in Crosby, though NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported that Dallas “would not give up two first-rounders” for Crosby.
Crosby, a 2019 fourth-round pick by the Raiders out of Eastern Michigan, is one of the elite pass rushers in the league. Despite an active head-coaching carousel since his arrival to the Raiders, Crosby was able to emerge as a consistent defensive anchor for the Silver and Black. He's delivered 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, 164 QB hits, 11 forced fumbles and an interception in 110 career games.
Raiders general manager John Spytek told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that he expected Crosby to be on the 53-man roster despite the trade rumors.
"Maxx is an elite player, and I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them," Spytek said at the combine. "It's hard to build a great team without elite players."
A week and change later, that smokescreen has netted Las Vegas with two first-round selections, sending Crosby to Baltimore with first-year head coach Jesse Minter and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Crosby, 28, is joining a Ravens defense that struggled to disrupt opposing quarterbacks in 2025. Baltimore’s defense ranked 24th in yards allowed and managed only 30 sacks, tied for 30th in the league. Crosby, who usually sees two defenders when the ball is snapped, recorded 10 sacks for the Raiders last season in 15 games.
Crosby notably missed the final two games of last season when the Raiders decided to place him on injured reserve due to a knee injury he had been battling, which required an offseason procedure on his meniscus. He fought to keep playing and was upset with the decision, but at the end of the day, Las Vegas did end up with the highly coveted No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Now, the team has two more important selections entering rebuild mode stoked with four first-round picks over the next two years.
The Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall, but whoever they ultimately go with has the potential to be surrounded with even more young talent thanks to Las Vegas' draft haul.