The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, a move that signals the franchise’s commitment to a complete roster overhaul. In exchange, the Raiders will receive first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027, sources confirmed to the Review-Journal.
The deal, which cannot become official until the new league year begins Wednesday, gives Las Vegas the No. 14 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft to pair with the No. 1 overall selection they earned for finishing with the league’s worst record. The Raiders now hold the most draft capital of any team in this year’s draft and the fourth-most of any NFL team in a single draft since 1999, according to data analyst Warren Sharp.
The trade ends weeks of speculation about Crosby’s relationship with the organization. During Super Bowl week, NFL analyst Jay Glazer, a close confidant of Crosby, revealed publicly that the star defender was unhappy and wanted out. Crosby later declined to directly address Glazer’s statement but had told the Review-Journal he hadn’t communicated with the team since the season ended.
New head coach Klint Kubiak had expressed optimism about working with Crosby, and general manager John Spytek indicated he could see Crosby on the roster in 2026. But the allure of two first-round picks proved too strong to pass up, especially with the Raiders holding nearly $120 million in cap space — the most in the league.
The rebuild is expected to center around Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, whom the Raiders are projected to select with the top pick. The team’s financial flexibility and draft assets position them for a rapid turnaround.
Crosby, 29, recorded 69.5 sacks in 110 career games with the Raiders, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl selections and finishing in the top six of Defensive Player of the Year voting twice. A fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019, he was the heart of the defense and a locker room leader, winning the team’s Commitment To Excellence award each of the past five years.
His relationship with the franchise frayed further when the team shut him down for the final two games of the season to secure the No. 1 draft pick. Kubiak would have been Crosby’s sixth head coach in eight seasons, and he had worked under four different general managers.
Teammates reacted emotionally to the news. Defensive lineman Jonah Laulu posted three broken heart emojis, while offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson shared a photo of him and Crosby taking the field together. “Truly an honor,” Powers-Johnson wrote. “Love you, man.”
Crosby signed a contract extension with the Raiders a year ago Thursday. He is due about $30 million per season over the next two years, with a potential out after 2027. Nearly all of that is salary, so the dead cap hit for the Raiders is minimal.
