- Crosby still remains a key part of the Raiders defense: Over the past four seasons, Crosby has accounted for 33% of the Raiders’ total sacks and 27% of their pressures. While Crosby’s numbers have dipped slightly (by his standards) over the past two seasons, he still accumulated twice as many sacks as the next closest player on the defense, Tyree Wilson.
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The Las Vegas Raiders looked ready to take the kind of step rebuilding teams often must take: trading away their most valuable veteran asset — in this case, pass rusher Maxx Crosby — in exchange for two first-round picks from the Baltimore Ravens.
Instead, the deal collapsed at the 11th hour, reportedly over concerns regarding Crosby’s physical. For now, the trade has been voided, and Crosby remains on the Raiders.
This leaves the franchise in an unusual position. It does not necessarily mean the Raiders and Crosby are locked together long-term. It could simply delay an inevitable separation, with Las Vegas now needing to explore alternative trade partners.
Crosby, 28, appeared poised for a new opportunity with a legitimate contender after seven seasons of loyal service in Las Vegas and only one winning campaign to show for it. Until a new resolution emerges, however, the Raiders must proceed with Crosby still on the roster — and deal with the financial implications that come with it.
While Crosby could theoretically remain in Las Vegas for the 2026 season, both sides seemed ready for a change, and the proposed deal appeared mutually beneficial on the surface.
Click here for Maxx Crosby's full statistical profileOne potential outcome is that the Raiders and Ravens revisit trade discussions under revised terms. In theory, a modified package could still get a deal done. However, the failed agreement may have strained relations between the two organizations.
Las Vegas may also be reluctant to accept less than the original offer, which could force the team to explore other trade partners. Another franchise might still be willing to part with first-round picks, though interest could be tempered by the circumstances that derailed the Baltimore deal, namely, concerns surrounding Crosby’s meniscus procedure that ended his 2025 season. The surgery was reportedly a “trimming” rather than a repair, a choice intended to shorten the rehabilitation timeline.
This now very public uncertainty weakens the Raiders’ leverage and could push the return closer to a single first-round pick with additional selections rather than the original package. If the market drops below that threshold, Las Vegas may simply keep Crosby and revisit trade discussions later if his production remains strong.
Maxx Crosby: Percentile rank in the stable metrics (2019-25)
MetricPercentile rankPass Rush Grade90Pass Rush Grade on True Pass Rushes85Pass Rush Grade w/o Play Action87Pass Rush Win %86Run Defense Grade97Run Stop %88The Raiders entered this offseason with needs across the roster. Securing the No. 1 overall pick — which will almost certainly be used on quarterback Fernando Mendoza — at least addresses the long-term outlook at the position. Meanwhile, signing the top center on the market, Tyler Linderbaum, signaled a commitment to strengthening the offensive line rather than pursuing some of the bigger defensive names available in free agency.
With or without Crosby, the defensive front still demanded attention this offseason, and Las Vegas has already taken steps to reinforce it.
The Raiders re-signed edge defender Malcolm Koonce to a one-year deal, bringing back a player who finished the 2025 season in encouraging form. They also signed Kwity Paye, who previously averaged six sacks per season with the Indianapolis Colts. Had the Raiders known Crosby would remain on the roster, one of these deals probably wouldn’t have been made.
Las Vegas also added a pair of free-agent linebackers in former Georgia teammates Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, moves clearly aimed at bolstering the overall front seven. Even with those additions, Crosby remains the centerpiece of the entire operation.
There’s also no true way to “replace” Maxx Crosby. The Raiders could try to recreate his production in the aggregate, but the Moneyball approach doesn’t exactly apply to the edge rusher position.
Explore PFF Tools Mock Draft Simulator Be the GM for any team in the 2026 NFL Draft with a fully immersive simulation that lets you trade picks and players for a realistic, in-depth draft experience. Customizable Draft Big Board Take control of your rankings with a customizable big board that lets you add players, share with friends, export to CSV and save your personalized list. Scouting Assistant Master the evaluation process with a customizable grading system built for serious scouts. Choose your own scouting categories, assign 0–10 grades in each area and generate a finalized prospect grade tailored to your criteria. NCAA Premium Stats Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Subscribe For Full AccessOver the past four seasons, Crosby has accounted for 33% of the Raiders’ total sacks and 27% of their pressures. While Crosby’s numbers have dipped slightly (by his standards) over the past two seasons, he still accumulated twice as many sacks as the next closest player on the defense, Tyree Wilson.
Wilson was a former seventh overall pick whose development hasn’t quite gone as smoothly as the Raiders would have hoped. While his 11.5% pressure rate and 21 stops this past season were both career highs, Wilson’s 57.6 PFF grade ranked 97th among edge defenders, a decrease from his 66.7 grade a year ago, largely explained by some woes as a run defender.
Koonce’s new deal suggests he’ll be playing second-fiddle to new teammate Kwity Paye, as he will be set to earn $5 million less per year. Despite finishing the season with an overall PFF grade of 59.1 — only marginally above Tyree Wilson — Koonce closed the year strongly and put up a 73.9 grade from Week 12 on, while also ranking 11th among all edge defenders in run defense during that stretch.
Koonce projects as someone with a relatively solid floor but perhaps a lower ceiling. Paye and Wilson, on the other hand, aren’t exactly models of consistency, but both still flash the traits that made them first-round picks in 2021 and 2023.
At linebacker, the additions of Jamel Dean and Quay Walker signal a clear effort by the Raiders to inject more speed and physicality into the middle of their defense. Both players bring experience attacking downhill and closing space quickly. Dean was particularly effective as a blitzer last season, generating 12 pressures and four sacks on just 35 pass-rushing snaps — the second-highest PFF pass-rushing grade among linebackers.
Walker will likely wear the green dot in Rob Leonard’s defense, taking on the responsibility of relaying calls and organizing the unit. He finished last season with the fourth-highest PFF tackling grade among all linebackers.
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Alternatively, Las Vegas could continue exploring the trade market for another contender willing to meet its asking price without the same medical concerns. Such a move would return the Raiders to the rebuilding blueprint they initially appeared committed to.
Moving Crosby for draft capital would allow the Raiders to accelerate their long-term overhaul. Using the resulting flexibility to acquire a veteran replacement via trade would largely defeat the purpose of starting fresh in the first place.
Instead, Las Vegas’ best long-term path to replacing Crosby’s impact would likely come through the draft.
The top end of the 2026 draft class is relatively strong at the edge defender position. None of Arvell Reese, David Bailey or Rueben Bain Jr. has fully cemented themselves as true can’t-miss prospects, but the Raiders could still hope one of the trio slides far enough down the board to bring them within range for a trade up.
Las Vegas cannot afford to sell the farm to re-enter the top five — the roster has too many other holes. However, if Crosby is eventually dealt to another suitor, the return could move the Raiders within striking distance of the top 10 and give them a chance at a high-upside edge rusher.
They could also remain patient and target someone like Akheem Mesidor later in the first round. However, his older age profile may not align perfectly with the long-term timeline that general manager John Spytek appears to be constructing.
Raiders fans will be quick to note that the team unearthed Crosby with the 106th overall pick in 2019. Could lightning strike twice? Probably not to that extent. It’s difficult to overstate just how rare a find Crosby was.
Among players selected outside the first three rounds of the NFL draft, Crosby ranks fifth in sacks in the PFF era (68.5) and should climb even higher before his career ends. He needs just 27 more sacks to pass Cameron Wake for the most on that list.
Rueben Bain: Percentile ranks in the stable metrics (2025)Out of almost 400 edge rushers drafted on day three in the PFF era, only four players have registered an overall PFF grade above 90.0. Crosby is one of them. Your chances of finding a talent like Maxx Crosby at the same draft position are literally 1 in 100.
This is why edge rushers are selected at such a premium in the first round. It’s difficult even to find an athlete as complete as Crosby outside the top 100. His short shuttle and three-cone times were both in the 98th percentile for edge prospects, and that remarkable agility has been one of the main reasons for his success despite weighing just 255 pounds.
While his superb pass-rushing repertoire is one thing, perhaps Crosby’s greatest ability has been his availability. Since 2021, he has played 400 more snaps than the next closest edge defender, Brian Burns, and logged 85% of all Raiders defensive snaps — a remarkable rate for a defensive lineman.
Despite his persistent presence on the Raiders defense, the team simply couldn’t figure out a way to win consistently during Crosby’s tenure. It raises an interesting question: what direction would this franchise have taken had they selected someone else with the 106th overall pick seven years ago?
Even the most elite edge rushers in football rarely dictate team-wide success in the way quarterbacks can. Beyond Crosby, Myles Garrett may remain the most prominent example — capable of producing historic pass-rushing seasons while his team struggles to reach .500.
Perhaps watching Garrett dominate on a five-win Browns team was enough to convince Crosby that he needed a new situation. It would be difficult to argue with his logic. The Raiders face a daunting task in turning last year’s disaster into a playoff-caliber team in the short term.
The organization now finds itself with a drastically different outlook than it did just a few days ago. Crosby remains on the roster. Koonce is back for another year. Wilson continues to develop. Dean and Walker have joined the linebacking corps.
Las Vegas must now prepare for both possibilities — building a defense that can function with Crosby while also planning for a future that may not include him.