He's back! Maxx Crosby merged superthread

[Corleone]

Tank is full speed ahead!

[haji81872]

I hope we don't take Maxx back.

I also think all the bargain hunters will be out to do some kind of deal for him.

Maybe we can get some 2nd round picks for him IDK.

To trade him for a couple of seconds would be moronic.

[Sold My Soul]

Of course, the larger question still revolves around Crosby’s future. The Raiders now face two possible paths. They could keep Crosby for another season and build around him while the rest of the roster develops. This doesn't make much sense from a cap perspective — Crosby’s deal occupies $30 million in space. That kind of money requires audibles to be called on contracts elsewhere to make this feasible.

Alternatively, Las Vegas could continue exploring the trade market for another contender willing to meet its asking price without the same medical concerns. Such a move would return the Raiders to the rebuilding blueprint they initially appeared committed to.

Moving Crosby for draft capital would allow the Raiders to accelerate their long-term overhaul. Using the resulting flexibility to acquire a veteran replacement via trade would largely defeat the purpose of starting fresh in the first place.

Instead, Las Vegas’ best long-term path to replacing Crosby’s impact would likely come through the draft.

The top end of the 2026 draft class is relatively strong at the edge defender position. None of Arvell Reese, David Bailey or Rueben Bain Jr. has fully cemented themselves as true can’t-miss prospects, but the Raiders could still hope one of the trio slides far enough down the board to bring them within range for a trade up.

Las Vegas cannot afford to sell the farm to re-enter the top five — the roster has too many other holes. However, if Crosby is eventually dealt to another suitor, the return could move the Raiders within striking distance of the top 10 and give them a chance at a high-upside edge rusher.

They could also remain patient and target someone like Akheem Mesidor later in the first round. However, his older age profile may not align perfectly with the long-term timeline that general manager John Spytek appears to be constructing.

Raiders fans will be quick to note that the team unearthed Crosby with the 106th overall pick in 2019. Could lightning strike twice? Probably not to that extent. It’s difficult to overstate just how rare a find Crosby was.

Among players selected outside the first three rounds of the NFL draft, Crosby ranks fifth in sacks in the PFF era (68.5) and should climb even higher before his career ends. He needs just 27 more sacks to pass Cameron Wake for the most on that list.

Out of almost 400 edge rushers drafted on day three in the PFF era, only four players have registered an overall PFF grade above 90.0. Crosby is one of them. Your chances of finding a talent like Maxx Crosby at the same draft position are literally 1 in 100.

This is why edge rushers are selected at such a PREMIUM in the first round. It’s difficult even to find an athlete as complete as Crosby outside the top 100. His short shuttle and three-cone times were both in the 98th percentile for edge prospects, and that remarkable agility has been one of the main reasons for his success despite weighing just 255 pounds.

While his superb pass-rushing repertoire is one thing, perhaps Crosby’s greatest ability has been his availability. Since 2021, he has played 400 more snaps than the next closest edge defender, Brian Burns, and logged 85% of all Raiders defensive snaps — a remarkable rate for a defensive lineman.

Despite his persistent presence on the Raiders defense, the team simply couldn’t figure out a way to win consistently during Crosby’s tenure. It raises an interesting question: what direction would this franchise have taken had they selected someone else with the 106th overall pick seven years ago?

Even the most elite edge rushers in football rarely dictate team-wide success in the way quarterbacks can. Beyond Crosby, Myles Garrett may remain the most prominent example — capable of producing historic pass-rushing seasons while his team struggles to reach .500.

Perhaps watching Garrett dominate on a five-win Browns team was enough to convince Crosby that he needed a new situation. It would be difficult to argue with his logic. The Raiders face a daunting task in turning last year’s disaster into a playoff-caliber team in the short term.

The organization now finds itself with a drastically different outlook than it did just a few days ago. Crosby remains on the roster. Koonce is back for another year. Wilson continues to develop. Dean and Walker have joined the linebacking corps.

Las Vegas must now prepare for both possibilities — building a defense that can function with Crosby while also planning for a future that may not include him.

-PFF

[raider_kin]

To trade him for a couple of seconds would be moronic.

A first and a second would be okay, if they are high enough picks. I think that's what we expected for him in the first place.

[Scarpariello]

This is also an opportunity for Spytek to show what he’s got under the hood. On the job training at its finest. How does he overcome this adversity.

[RickRyb]

The Raiders first order of business is find a way to replace whatever their plan was for the pick 14. Whether through another FA signing or figuring out when can be done with their current roster. After that nothing changes moving forward.

[Opoponax50]

Looking at different Ravens forums, their reactions are all over the place. Some are glad the deal was reneged because they believe they have holes all over the place and are in something of a rebuild mode. Some are pissed because their team reneged and then signed a clearly inferior player with an injury history. Some are indifferent, many are embarrassed by what their FO has done.

There's no real consensus. I think that rather than listening to the press, it's better to see what a team's fanbase is saying, and right now the only thing approaching a consensus from Baltimore's fanbase is that they're baffled by multiple bullshit factors rather than just this non-trade.

[chucker]

mad max need guaranteed money on his remaining yrs...that was the issue, players and agents always look at the guaranteeed money and while max and his party never said it publicly they worked in teh back ground sending messages thru the media, max said he would retire as a raider he may get his chance now if the raiders rework his deal properly and lower his cost avg over the next few yrs

On Friday his full 2027 salary is fully guaranteed. His 2026 salary is already fully guaranteed.

[Sold My Soul]

The Las Vegas Raiders might not have much trouble moving on from Maxx Crosby after the Baltimore Ravens pulled out of last week's trade agreement.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, "several" teams have already reached out to the Raiders about Crosby's availability. According to Schefter, the plan for now is for Crosby to get healthy and play in Las Vegas, but the team is listening to offers.

[Attyla]

It would be foolish now now to listen to offers

[chucker]

It's never foolish to listen to offers. It's foolish to lower the price.

[RickRyb]

I think a positive is that Mark Davis & Crosby had a conversation and it was mutually agreed to make a move. It doesn't sound like there were any demands or either side were overly pissed. Also, when did their conversation take place? Was it before Kubiak became head coach? Before Rob Leonard was named DC? It's possible there really isn't any animosity that needs to be repaired.

[Jeevo]

It's never foolish to listen to offers. It's foolish to lower the price.

I never thought we could get two firsts and the Ravens were possibly the only team willing to do that. Is a 1st and a 2nd considered lowering the price?

[RunOverByHubbard]

Someone here says right away that the Ravens got "cold feet". That is a good way of stating it -- like when you buy a car and then use the 24 hour thing (at least in Calif they have it) to back out. The surgery Maxx got will make him good for this season and next, but down the road, he will have a bad knee almost for sure. Since his contract is not for long term, that should not have mattered to the Ravens. Our problem now is getting something good for him -- but it won't be two firsts.

The only FA signing that nows seems bad is Koonce (as long as we still keep Maxx). If we knew we were keeping Maxx from the get-go, I had no problem with letting Koonce walk and signing Kwity. With Ty Wilson being a dud, we needed another edge guy better than Koonce. I think they will still unload Maxx before the start of the season. After all that has gone down, including his video of himself playing basketball, he needs a fresh start.

[RickRyb]

I never thought we could get two firsts and the Ravens were possibly the only team willing to do that. Is a 1st and a 2nd considered lowering the price?

It depends what The Raiders were asking. If The Raiders' asking price was two 1st then yes that would be lowering their price. If The Raiders wanted a 1st and something additional, than no.

[chucker]

I think a positive is that Mark Davis & Crosby had a conversation and it was mutually agreed to make a move. It doesn't sound like there were any demands or either side were overly pissed. Also, when did their conversation take place? Was it before Kubiak became head coach? Before Rob Leonard was named DC? It's possible there really isn't any animosity that needs to be repaired.

I don't think any bridges have been burned. I believe all the conversations with Maxx about trading him were long before Kubiak was hired. I'm sure Kubiak and Leonard would be absolutely thrilled to have Maxx instead of the #14 pick this year. In the near term, we're a better team today than we were yesterday.