For the first time since before the 2019 NFL Draft, Maxx Crosby is no longer a member of the Raiders. Las Vegas dealt him to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday evening for two first-round picks, one in 2026 and another in 2027, ending a seven-year stint with the Silver and Black.
This is a bittersweet day for Raider Nation and the franchise, as Crosby truly was the heart and soul of the team for so long. But if a time ever made sense for Las Vegas to dish its superstar defensive end, it was now. John Spytek is rebuilding, and nothing will stand in his way. Nothing is above The Shield.
Fans had anticipated that this day would come, and even though it still doesn't feel quite real, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. In fact, the latest reports confirm that Crosby always wanted the Raiders to trade him, and they just finally obliged.
News is now breaking that Maxx Crosby always wanted out of Las Vegas
First, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported the following:
"Maxx Crosby never made any of his trade requests public because of his relationship with Raiders owner Mark Davis and the fanbase. The way that Las Vegas handled the end of Crosby’s 2025 season soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him."
It is fairly unbelievable that, after all Crosby had been through with the Raiders, making him sit out two meaningless games at the end of a disastrous campaign to give him a kickstart on his rehab for a torn meniscus was his breaking point. In reality, it was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back.
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NFL Network's Tom Pelissero also reported that Crosby returning to Las Vegas was never in the cards after the way things went down between the two sides in December.
"While the Raiders insisted publicly Maxx Crosby would be on the team in 2026, the reality is it was never going to happen," Pelissero reported. "A trade made sense for both sides, as Las Vegas gets ammo for their rebuild and Crosby gets a fresh start at age 28."
Raider Nation should now understand why Crosby wouldn't directly tell fans this offseason that he wanted to stay in Las Vegas and play for the team: Because he didn't. All good things run their course, and for as subjectively good as things were between the two sides, it wasn't meant to last.
Crosby is a Raven. That deal just got done on Friday evening. But his being a Raider for the 2026 NFL season was never going to happen, no matter how much the fanbase had difficulty coping with that fact. These two reports confirm that it was Crosby who wanted out. And his wish was granted.