Day two of the 2026 NFL free agent period was quiet. Then an all-caps headline hit, and it had nothing to do with a big name signing. In fact, it was the opposite.
The Baltimore Ravens, who'd less than a week earlier addressed their biggest weakness by trading two first round draft picks for Las Vegas Raiders for five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby, opted out of the deal. A failed physical sent the 28-year-old back to Nevada -- roughly 33 hours into a Raiders free agent spending spree that gave out $282 million in contract value to shepherd their latest rebuild.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's a stunning reversal that leaves the Ravens' pass rush without a star and brings a player for whom a contingency plan was already in action back to a franchise for which he does not want to play. $154.5 million of those free agent contracts were spread across five high profile defensive starters, including edge rushers Kwity Paye and Malcolm Koonce. Neither can match Crosby's level of success, but it's fair to believe Paye's arrival and Koonce's re-signing were prioritized in the wake of the star's departure.
Las Vegas was cleared to spend because dealing away Crosby opened up $30 million in salary cap space for 2026. The picks he brought back were a viable pathway to above-average starters on dirt cheap rookie contracts. The Raiders came into the offseason with a boatload of cap space to begin with, but Crosby's departure ensured new general manager John Spytek could go out and do things like reset the entire center marketplace by millions and millions of dollars to land Tyler Linderbaum.
That's no longer the case. Crosby and his nearly $35.8 million 2026 cap hit are back on the roster. The two first round picks, including No. 14 overall, are back in Baltimore. Getting that kind of value back in a future trade after two days of free agency that saw pass rushers like Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Boye Mafe join new teams and Trey Hendrickson still available (but potentially in the Ravens' sights) will be nearly impossible.
What's left for the Raiders?
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is tackled by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.Las Vegas has seen its leverage in any Crosby deal sapped. Teams already knew the rift between player and team was nearing irreparable levels when the All-Pro edge rusher was shut down late in the season despite an injury Crosby insisted he could play through. That trip to injured reserve locked in the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but also alienated Crosby, a player who'd logged more snaps than any other defensive player since 2019.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Raiders were still able to bring in a Micah Parsons-esque haul in a trade, landing two first round picks in the process. But the teams desperate for pass rushing help largely found it at the start of the offseason. The Carolina Panthers added Phillips before a do-or-die season for Bryce Young and Dave Canales. The Bengals could use a player like Crosby but just dedicated $20 million annually to Mafe. The Cowboys, desperate enough for a brand name sack artist to send a fourth round pick to the Packers for a player who'd publicly announced his release days earlier, appear to be out:
Who'll be bidding for Crosby's services now, even before getting to the potential problematic knee that helped inflate Baltimore's buyer's remorse until it exploded (the validity of those concerns, by the way, is very much under scrutiny)? The New England Patriots have handed out more than $150 million in contract value this March, including to veteran edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones. The Buffalo Bills are an estimated $14 million over the salary cap. The Indianapolis Colts are more interested in keeping their own players in house, the Tennessee Titans are on a different timeline (and already spent a bunch to improve their floor) and the Philadelphia Eagles are in a tight spot and have to figure out a resolution to their A.J. Brown drama.
That's not to say these teams aren't interested in Crosby. They're just unlikely to meet the price Baltimore paid. Any team in the league would find space for a perennial Pro Bowler at one of the league's most valuable positions, balky knee or not. But paying market price for what the Ravens have loudly announced are damaged goods, in a landscape where the hungriest teams have already hit the free agent buffet, is not in the cards.
This is an absolute brutal blow to a franchise that needs moral victories after 23 seasons without a playoff win and one relocation. Crosby was one of the best stories to come out of the past two decades of Raiders football; a former fourth round pick from what had been one of the MAC's doormat teams who outworked everyone to become a star. Then Las Vegas found the one way to irreparably damage its relationship with him, setting up a franchise rebuild only for it to be spiked into the hardwood by Baltimore's change of heart.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCrosby will still have suitors in a trade. The Raiders, however, will have one hell of a time getting something close to what the Ravens were offering for his services. This is an absolute brutal turn of events for Las Vegas -- and something Tom Brady and the rest of the Raiders' executive team can be excused for holding a grudge on.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What is Maxx Crosby's trade value now that the Ravens don't want him?
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