Five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby is heading to the Baltimore Ravens, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Friday night. ESPN, The Athletic and NFL Network also confirmed the news.
Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until the NFL’s new year starts next week.
The Las Vegas Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one of the people said.
The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season, and has reached double- digit sacks four times in his seven seasons.
Baltimore, which has a first-year coach in Jesse Minter, is in a win-now mode with three-time All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson. Crosby is a significant boost for a defense that finished tied for 28th in the league in sacks with only 30 last season.
He’s the latest elite pass rusher to switch teams for a big price. Micah Parsons was traded from Dallas to Green Bay last year for two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
The last time the Ravens didn’t have a first-round pick was 2012.
Crosby had long maintained he wanted to play his entire career for the Raiders, but his frustration with the organization’s struggles was evident even before a tumultuous end to last season, when the team chose to place him on injured reserve with two games remaining because of a knee injury. Crosby, who takes pride in not coming off the field despite playing with an assortment of injuries through much of his career, left the team facility after being informed of the decision.
Given a chance a month ago to refute reports that he wanted out of Las Vegas, Crosby instead said such talk wasn’t coming from him. However, he never said he wanted to return to the Raiders.
“I just sit back and laugh because I know my truth and when I go to bed at night, I have a smile on my face because I don’t have to explain nothing to nobody,” Crosby said in an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”
He told Cowherd his focus is on rehabilitating from left knee surgery that took place about a month ago.
“I’m ahead of schedule, and it’s business as usual,” Crosby said. “It’s my eighth surgery in seven years. It’s something that I’ve gotten used to. It’s all about perspective, about how you approach what you want to accomplish. I’m willing to run that marathon.”
First-year Raiders coach Klint Kubiak and general manager John Spytek had said they wanted Crosby to remain on the team. Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine that he expected Crosby to be in the lineup when the team opens its season, but noted the club was willing to listen to trade offers. The Ravens clearly made an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the draft and are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. This deal allows them to also address several other holes on their roster.
They are likely to cut quarterback Geno Smith before the league year opens Wednesday. Las Vegas had nearly $122 million in salary-cap space before this deal, according to overthecap.com.
