The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in an awkward situation after the Ravens backed out of a trade that would have sent pass rusher Maxx Crosby to Baltimore.
The Ravens agreed on Friday to send a pair of first-round picks to the Raiders for the former All-Pro. With Crosby off the market, many teams committed significant resources toward upgrading their pass rush during the first two days when teams could negotiate with free agents.
Las Vegas also spent heavily on both sides of the ball. So when Baltimore
backed out of the deal on Tuesday, it left the Raiders with their own salary cap predicament and fewer potential suitors interested in landing Crosby.
At least one sportsbook still favors Crosby to play elsewhere next season -- with -200 odds that he will not be with Las Vegas compared to +150 odds that he'll stay for an eighth season with the Raiders. That implies a 33.3% likelihood of Crosby playing for Las Vegas in 2026.
That begs the question: where might Crosby end up?
The shortest odds belong to the reigning AFC champions, followed by an NFC contender seeking to add in a few key spots to take the next step.
MAXX CROSBY NEXT TEAM ODDS (If not Raiders)*
New England Patriots (+400)
Chicago Bears (+500)
Cleveland Browns (+500)
Dallas Cowboys (+500)
Philadelphia Eagles (+700)
Pittsburgh Steelers (+1400)
San Francisco 49ers (+1800)
Jacksonville Jaguars (+2000)
Washington Commanders (+2000)
Detroit Lions (+2500)
New Orleans Saints (+2500)
New York Jets (+2500)
Los Angeles Chargers (+2800)
Buffalo Bills (+3300)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3300)
Arizona Cardinals (+4000)
Houston Texans (+4000)
Seattle Seahawks (+4000)
Tennessee Titans (+4000)
Cincinnati Bengals (+4500)
Denver Broncos (+4500)
New York Giants (+4500)
Atlanta Falcons (+5000)
Indianapolis Colts (+5000)
Minnesota Vikings (+5000)
Carolina Panthers (+6600)
Kansas City Chiefs (+6600)
Los Angeles Rams (+6600)
Baltimore Ravens (+7500)
Green Bay Packers (+7500)
Miami Dolphins (+7500)
*BetOnline.ag odds provided for entertainment purposes only.
The Patriots were believed to be interested in Crosby before the Ravens deal was announced. With K'Lavon Chaisson agreeing to a deal with Washington, New England has a real need for a pass rusher like Crosby despite adding Dre'Mont Jones. But will the Patriots be willing to part with the pair of first-round picks the Raiders are still seeking for Crosby?
The Bears came an overtime loss away from reaching the NFC Championship Game. Since then, they signed defensive back Coby Bryant from the world champion Seahawks, and Crosby could be another key piece toward pushing Chicago over the top.
The Bears would need to find cap space and determine if the asking price is worth it for a 28-year-old recovering from knee surgery. They reportedly were willing to give up two first-round picks before being outbid by Baltimore, which offered a first-rounder 11 spots higher than Chicago's.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones loves making splashy headlines, and adding Crosby would certainly do that. Dallas also invested significant money in free agents this week, but the Cowboys still have an extra first-round pick this year from the Micah Parsons trade. Interestingly, Crosby played high school football in Colleyville, which is less than an hour outside Dallas.
The two other teams with odds shorter than +1000 to land Crosby have different situations. Would the Browns look to pair him opposite Myles Garrett, or potentially deal the single-season sacks record holder? In that scenario, Cleveland could look to acquire draft capital while sending Garrett to a contending team, such as New England or Philadelphia.
While great for trade speculation, the Browns would likely have a difficult time trading the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year due to the dead cap space it would create. And the Eagles are reportedly interested in extending defensive tackle Jalen Carter rather than including him in a multi-team deal that would land Garrett in return.
And then there's the real possibility that Crosby suits up for the Silver and Black next season. Sports Illustrated reported that he was back in the team facility at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and considers himself a Raiders employee moving forward.
--Field Level Media
