Grading Baltimore’s Blockbuster Trade for All-Pro Edge Rusher
At 9:20 p.m. EST on Friday, March 6th, 2026, history was made. The Baltimore Ravens traded their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks for five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders. This marks the first time in the Ravens’ 31-year history that the franchise traded a first-round pick for a player, let alone two firsts. The Raiders extended Crosby before the 2025 season, adding three years for $106 million onto his previous contract, preventing him from testing the market until after the 2029 season. The trade will not be official until the new league year begins next week, but experts have already submitted their grades, and they seem to be fairly positive.
Ravens Receive: EDGE Maxx Crosby
Grade: B+
The Ravens have been in desperate need of a powerful and dominant edge rusher for years. After each draft or free agent acquisition, hope would grow that a new face entered the room and was tasked with taking over for Terrell Suggs when he left the team in 2018. From Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, Mike Green, and more, each has shown flashes and maybe one or two good seasons, but never enough to hand over the keys to the city. No edge rusher has had more than one season of 10+ sacks in a single season since Suggs departed the team. The acquisition of Maxx Crosby for two first-round picks is the first step in rebuilding the Ravens' defense.
Both new coaches in HC Jesse Minter and DC Anthony Weaver have previously been with the franchise and stated in their introductory press conference a desire and goal to play connected, strong, and violent defense at all levels, revitalizing and re-imagining what it means to ‘Play Like A Raven’. The Ravens have never traded their first-round pick for a player, and while the price seems steep for a 28, soon-to-be-29-year-old, the five-time Pro Bowler is one of the most underrated edge rushers who has only made the playoffs once in his seven-year career. While his former team did not make the playoffs often, his personal success of 69.5 sacks ranks 20th among active defensive players, but 12 more sacks would put him just outside 10th in the category. Additionally, the durability of the Eastern Michigan alumni has not been a huge problem, as he has only missed seven games in his whole career.
In terms of finances, the Ravens will have some more work to do when the trade becomes official, like immediately restructuring the deal to prevent a $30.6 million cap hit, which becomes the fourth highest on the team, behind Lamar Jackson’s monumental $74.5 million, Nnamdi Madubuike’s $32.7 million, and Roquan Smith’s $30.9. According to OverTheCap.com, the Ravens will be about $12 million over the cap, and with a restructuring of Crosby’s deal, the 2026 cap hit would go from $30 million to just under eight million dollars, putting the Ravens back in the green. Whether the Ravens restructure their newly acquired rusher or not, an extension is still required for Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP’s $74.5 million payday in 2026 and 2027 is about a quarter of the team's cap space, and the team cannot be satisfied with just the acquisition of one player in an offseason due to the restrictions of their four highest-paid players eating all of the money.
Raiders Receive: 2026 and 2027 First-Round Picks
Grade: A
The Raiders are in a pure rebuild situation. While it seems like they have been rebuilding for a while, which they have, a rebuild only ends with success, which the Raiders have had little to none. Even with Derek Carr under center from 2014-2022, the Raiders were no more than a bottom-tier team, earning no AFC West titles and only four second-place division finishes since their Super Bowl XXXVII appearance in the 2002 NFL Season. Crosby is not the first player to be traded from the Raiders because of money or the situation of time. Carr was released after nine seasons, Khalil Mack was traded after four, Amari Cooper was traded halfway through his fourth season, and Josh Jacobs tested free agency after his fifth season with the team. This shows that the Raiders understand that their talent would only be wasted, as they do not have the cap space or draft capital to continue building their way to a Super Bowl. The Raiders will eventually have to pay Brock Bowers in the next two years and Ashton Jeanty in the next three years, along with filling every position on the offensive line and entire defense. Therefore, moving a soon-to-be 29-year-old with a heavy cap hit is a smart move for draft capital. The Raiders will incur about five million in dead cap, but save about $30 million in this trade, earn the 14th overall pick in 2026, and a 2027 first-round pick, based on how the Ravens place in this upcoming season.
The Raiders are projected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the first overall selection, and have 10 additional picks in 2026, including the Ravens’ 14th overall selection. They are one of five teams with multiple first-round picks, and one of the teams with the most draft capital. A lot can change on draft day, but the Raiders are in a great position to draft a handful of young players to develop and help their rebuild for cheap. Additionally, the Raiders will have one of the largest cap spaces entering the free agent frenzy, and while they do not need to use all of their money, just remember how the Patriots went from worst to “almost” first with their large bag of cash in last year’s frenzy. The only reason this grade is not an A+ is that it puts faith in the newly appointed Raiders front office and coaching staff to successfully draft outside of the consensus first overall pick.
Who Wins?
At the end of the day, the winner is both teams. A rebuilding team sold one of their largest assets, and a contending team filled a position of need. The asking price of two first-round picks was a little steep, but considering other teams like the Bears or Cowboys made the same or similar offers, the Ravens walked away as winners in their own way. Additionally, fans have to imagine who the Ravens would draft with those draft picks, as the risk may not have outweighed the reward of acquiring Crosby. On the other hand, the Raiders gained draft capital and saved some money in their full roster reset. The true winner cannot be decided until a few years in the future, after we see how the Raiders use the picks and how productive the star edge rusher is with the Ravens.
