Everyone assumed Maxx Crosby wanted out of Las Vegas. Turns out the only person who did not want Maxx Crosby traded was Maxx Crosby.
NFL Network reported Sunday that after the Baltimore Ravens backed out of an agreed-upon trade last March, four teams checked in on the five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher: the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. Crosby told them all he only wanted to play for the Raiders.
His own words, posted publicly: “I’m a Raider. I’m back.”
The trade that fell apart
Baltimore had agreed to send Las Vegas a package led by two first-round picks. Then the Ravens backed out over concerns about Crosby’s knee.
The context there matters. The Raiders shut Crosby down for the final two games of last season citing a knee injury, a decision he was publicly unhappy about. When Baltimore’s medical staff got a look and walked away, it reset the entire market.
Teams that had been preparing to pay two first-rounders suddenly started shopping at a discount. NFL Network’s sourcing describes the follow-up interest as trying to get Crosby for “pennies on the dollars.”
That is when he shut it down.
The domino nobody connected
Here is the part that reframes the entire offseason. The Rams, denied Crosby, pivoted and traded with Cleveland for five-time All-Pro Myles Garrett.
That trade only happened because Crosby said no.
And it has already gone sideways for Los Angeles. Garrett is on injured reserve after an arthroscopic knee procedure following Week 1 and will miss at least four games. The Rams gave up a massive package for a pass rusher they now will not see until October, after losing out on a pass rusher who is currently healthy and playing in Las Vegas.
What Crosby is
Crosby enters 2026 with 69.5 career sacks in 110 games, all with the Raiders. He was a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 and has outplayed that slot by a margin that is almost absurd.
He was active for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
Loyalty in the modern NFL is usually a fan concept, not a player one, and rightly so. Teams cut people without ceremony every August. So when a player with real leverage turns down four contenders to stay with a rebuilding franchise, it is worth noticing.
This is not over
Las Vegas is early in a rebuild. If the Raiders are out of contention by late October, the deadline chatter starts again, and Dallas keeps coming up as the most aggressive name.
Crosby’s September is functionally an audition for a knee that cost him two first-round picks worth of trade value. If it holds up, his leverage comes all the way back.
And if it does not, the Ravens look like the smartest doctors in football.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.