The Las Vegas Raiders certainly have a bone to pick with the Baltimore Ravens after they backed out of a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby. It has been well-documented that the Ravens operated in a shady manner and affected more than just the two teams involved with the deal.
John Spytek might not have been quite as aggressive, or least not in the same way, had he known Crosby and his $30 million salary cap would be coming back to Las Vegas. But, like almost everyone else, Spytek didn't see this coming, and invested the most money in the NFL into veteran free agents.
One of those open market additions was wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who received quite the pay increase after spending the last four years in the shadow of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on the Minnesota Vikings. Nailor thinks, though, that the Ravens gave Crosby bulletin board material.
Raiders WR Jalen Nailor thinks Ravens lit fire under Maxx Crosby
Nailor recently made a guest appearance on the Up & Adams Show, and host Kay Adams asked him about his new teammate, Maxx Crosby. Nailor indicated that he had met Crosby, enjoyed doing so, and is looking forward to working alongside the superstar edge rusher.
"Yeah, I have heard from Maxx. He actually texted me the day before I signed, and I met him once I got there to the facility, and he's great dude, man," Nailor said. "I can't wait to spend more time with him off the field and on the field and in the weight room, stuff like that. He seems like a real, genuine guy who wants to win. And what he's done so far in his career and he's just ready to keep improving and building on that."
Now, the obvious elephant in the room when talking about Crosby anymore is the whole situation that went down with the Ravens. Adams expressed the thought that it could actually work to Crosby's benefit and make him more motivated. Nailor agreed.
"Oh, for sure. I feel like that definitely lit a fire up under him, and he just wants to get back healthy and go out there and ball out and even do better than he's done before," Nailor said. "I'm excited for that, just watching him the past four years that I've been in1the league. How dominant he is and the type of guy he is, man, I'm just excited for it."
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Crosby is always on the warpath against opposing teams and offensive tackles, but he should be especially so during the 2026 NFL season. Baltimore doubting his long-term outlook is, to Crosby, like questioning his work ethic or approach to the sport.
If he can come out like gangbusters and dominate all year long, then not only will the Ravens regret their decision to chicken out of the trade, but they'll come under even more fire for lamenting about his injury status and health.
Las Vegas doesn't play Baltimore until 2027, when they welcome their AFC North foe into Allegiant Stadium. Surely, Crosby will be amped beyond belief for that game and will look to prove what he thought was his future team wrong.
This will be Nailor's first time working with Crosby, and it is very possible that he gets a firsthand look at a completely new beast that nobody in the building has truly worked with before. One thing that is for sure: Nailor seems to have Crosby's back and is excited to see him channel his frustration.