For a time that can be measured in hours back in March, up to and including his public farewell to fans, Maxx Crosby was not a Las Vegas Raider for the first time in his NFL career.
But in the category of "nothing's official until it's official," the Baltimore Ravens bailed on a trade that would have them parting with two first-round picks, citing concerns about Crosby's surgically-repaired knee, as if the details and recovery timeline weren't well-known upon initial agreement.
So, for now, Crosby remains a Raider. It's perhaps a stretch to say that everything is magically fine, though, since the five-time Pro Bowler requested a trade despite presumably knowing that the front office was in a position to make big changes to the roster this offseason.
However, everyone's saying the right things, and the Raiders are undeniably a better team with Crosby still in the fold. But a new report just ahead of the draft indicated that Las Vegas may have been able to snag better than the No. 14 overall pick in this year's draft in a separate Crosby deal.
Report offers an interesting 'what if' for Raiders regarding Maxx Crosby
Multiple teams besides the Ravens had some level of interest in trading for Crosby, but Baltimore clearly made the best offer, as others balked at an asking price of two first-round picks.
That agreed-upon deal would have given the Raiders the 14th overall pick in this year's draft to pair with the No. 1 overall selection they earned and the rest of what is lined up to be a promising draft haul.
One day out from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, however, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports had a Raiders-related nugget attached to a recent big trade.
"Sources tell me that long before the Cincinnati Bengals surrendered the 10th pick of the draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the team discussed trading that selection to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby."
Pauline added that Cincinnati, as expected, was "unwilling to match" the price of two first-round picks that the Ravens initially sent to the Raiders in the trade they bailed on. But this is interesting because the Bengals had not been previously mentioned as a trade suitor for Crosby.
Not to mention, their trade of the 10th overall pick to the New York Giants for Lawrence shows that they were aggressively trying to bolster their lagging defense this offseason in an attempt to appease quarterback Joe Burrow..
So the idea that they had interest in Crosby, along the same line that led them to acquiring Lawrence, is not surprising. For the Raiders, along with what the Ravens do at the pick that was theirs until it wasn't, the possibility they'd have two top-10 picks in this draft lands as another interesting "what-if."
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