The Maxx Crosby trade is giving too many storylines to follow. Not only do the Las Vegas Raiders got a haul in return, or made the Baltimore Ravens a ‘Super Bowl-or-bust‘ team, but it also broke a weird streak from the AFC North franchise.
According to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, the Baltimore Ravens had never traded a first-round pick away. Now, by acquiring Maxx Crosby, they’ve traded two. The Ravens will send their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to acquire one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
The Ravens have been in the NFL since 1996. The fact that it took the franchise 30 years to trade a first-rounder is quite remarkable. With this, the Raiders managed to do something no other franchise has done to the Ravens, and make it double, since two firsts were the price to pay for Maxx Crosby.
No more excuses for the Ravens
Since Lamar Jackson arrived, Baltimore has been seen as a perennial Super Bowl contender, yet they haven’t been even close to get to one. Despite Jackson’s two MVP awards, and having lots of talented rosters, they haven’t been able to win anything. At first, they blamed injuries, now, they got rid of John Harbaugh, and hence, there are no more excuses for Baltimore.
Baltimore thinks so highly of Crosby, that it paid a price that has never been paid before, and that also means the team is sending a message: Win now. If the Ravens don’t win now, they will have to wait until 2028 to use a first-round pick again. The pressure is really on.
Is Maxx Crosby that much of a game-changer?
When thinking about pass-rushers in the NFL, the usual names that come to mind are Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and Micah Parsons. However, one level below is Maxx Crosby, as well as Aidan Hutchinson. Hence, Crosby is arguably a top five pass-rusher in the NFL.
During his seven seasons, Crosby has had double-digit sacks in four of them. Also, he has never had fewer than seven. Crosby is also an iron man. He’s only missed seven games in his career, and played 86 consecutive games from 2019-2023. Also, it needs to be mentioned that the last two games he missed was because of the Raiders’ decision to shut him down, depite Crosby wanting to play.