The Las Vegas Raiders have had a busy few days, which is probably somewhat of an understatement. On Friday, the team seemingly ended the ongoing saga with superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby, agreeing to a deal that would send him to the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 14 overall pick and a 2027 first-round pick.
Two days later, they agreed to send a sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Taron Johnson and a seventh-round pick. Then came the first day of the legal tampering period, where Las Vegas made a splash, agreeing to deals with Eric Stokes, Tyler Linderbaum, Jalen Nailor, Kwity Paye, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Malcolm Koonce.
The following day, the Raiders were able to acquire a sixth-round pick from the New York Jets for Geno Smith, who they planned to release, and a seventh-round pick. The rest of the day seemed to be quiet until the bombshell came: Baltimore had backed out of the Crosby trade.
While fans questioned how that would impact the free agent class, Albert Breer shared an update that should ease the minds of Raider Nation.
Raiders fans should be thrilled with Albert Breer's update amid the ongoing Maxx Crosby saga
While plenty of Raiders fans did not want to see Crosby leave, general manager John Spytek's work over the past week largely restored faith in the fanbase. It was hard not to be thrilled with the free agent haul that he added to the roster, as each player is 27 or younger, fitting the timeline of projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Following the Ravens' poor faith move to pull out of the Crosby trade, there were plenty of questions about how adding the five-time Pro Bowler's salary back to the books would impact the free agent class. Breer noted that Las Vegas, which entered the offseason with plenty of cap space, plans to honor each of the contracts.
"Source: The Raiders will honor all the agreements they made with free agents—both their own and the incoming guys—over the last 48 hours, despite the stunning developments of last night. All options remain in play with Maxx Crosby. Vegas is certainly very open to keeping him."
Breer added that teams have already begun to re-inquire about Crosby following the failed deal.
"All this is difficult for everyone. The Raiders will work through different scenarios—some teams called last night, but Vegas isn't going to trade Crosby on a discount. And keeping him with a revamped crew around him isn't the worst idea in the world."
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Of course, there is a lot to dissect there. First of all, Raiders fans should be thrilled about keeping the free agent class that had them excited for the first 32 hours of the legal tampering period. Baltimore's stunt will not have any impact on the haul coming to Las Vegas, which bodes well for the future. It is also a good-faith act that players and agents around the league will take note of.
Adding Crosby to the mix of players acquired will also be great for the immediate success of the team, as, for the first time in his career, he could be surrounded by talent on the defensive side. Of course, there is no guarantee that he stays; however, it is hard to envision the Raiders getting the draft capital that they were set to receive.
That could lead both sides to work to repair the relationship, as Spytek, rightfully, won't trade him for pennies on the dollar. Keeping Crosby, naturally, will impact how the front office approaches the rest of the offseason, as they will not have as much cap space as initially planned.
Despite all of the drama that Tuesday's news brought, two things are clear. Las Vegas remains a big winner in the early stages of free agency, and fans should trust Spytek to work around the failed trade to continue building the roster. That alone should help Raider Nation relax after an unprecedented day.