Ravens acquire five-time Pro Bowl Maxx Crosby for two first-round picks

The Baltimore Ravens agreed to acquire five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for Baltimore’s 2026 and 2027 first-round draft picks, with the No. 14 overall selection in April’s draft reported as part of the package. Multiple outlets, including ESPN and the Associated Press, reported the deal was reached late March 6 and will become official when the NFL new league year opens, which AP places at 4 p.m. Eastern on March 11.

Crosby, 28, arrives after seven seasons in Las Vegas with widely cited totals of 69.5 sacks, figures reported across several outlets. He posted 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 15 games in 2025, and is a five-time Pro Bowler with two second-team All-Pro nods noted by Sports Illustrated. ESPN revisited Crosby’s September 2024 showing in Baltimore, when he had six tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks, including a play that leveled Lamar Jackson.

Contract figures differ in published accounts: Ravens Wire and USA TODAY report Crosby signed a three-year, $109.5 million extension last March, while ESPN lists that extension at $106.5 million. ESPN’s cap analysis projects the Raiders will take on a little more than $5 million in dead money from bonus proration and save about $25.7 million against this year’s cap, while the Ravens would inherit Crosby’s $30 million base salary for 2026 and a $29 million base for 2027, with Baltimore’s cap number for Crosby this season estimated at roughly $30.695 million.

Crosby’s medical status complicates the timetable. Sources report he underwent a minor meniscus repair, described as left knee surgery about a month before the trade reports, and that he faces a few months of rehabilitation. On The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Crosby said he is “ahead of schedule” and added, “It’s my eighth surgery in seven years. It’s something that I’ve gotten used to. It’s all about perspective, about how you approach what you want to accomplish. I’m willing to run that marathon.” He also said, “I just sit back and laugh because I know my truth and when I go to bed at night, I have a smile on my face because I don’t have to explain nothing to nobody.”

The move answers a front-office priority. General manager Eric DeCosta told reporters at the NFL combine that upgrading the edge was a focus this offseason, and Sports Illustrated framed the trade as the Ravens going all-in under first-year head coach Jesse Minter with Lamar Jackson entering his age-29 season. Baltimore went 8–9 in 2025 and ranked tied for 28th in sacks with 30; ESPN contrasted Crosby’s 69.5 sacks since 2019 to Baltimore’s top producer over that span, Nnamdi Madubuike, who has 30 sacks since 2019.

For Las Vegas, the return of two first-rounders provides draft capital to pursue a rebuild, a narrative emphasized by Sports Illustrated and others. Analysts compared the price to other elite pass-rusher deals in recent years, framing it as a trend of teams surrendering high draft capital for proven edge power.

The transaction will be finalized at the start of the new league year on March 11 at 4 p.m. Eastern, after which Baltimore must balance the roughly $30.7 million cap charge and the loss of two first-round picks against the immediate on-field upgrade Crosby represents for a defense that struggled to generate pressure in 2025.