At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Raiders general manager John Spytek told reporters that he expected Crosby to be on the 53-man roster despite the trade rumors.
“Maxx is an elite player, and I’ve been very upfront from the start when I got here that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them,” Spytek said at the combine. “It’s hard to build a great team without elite players.”
A week and change later, Crosby heads over to Baltimore with first-year head coach Jesse Minter and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. At 28 years old, Crosby is joining a Ravens defense that struggled to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. Baltimore’s defense ranked 24th in total yards allowed and had a total of 30 sacks in 2025. Crosby, who usually sees two defenders when the ball is snapped, recorded 10 sacks for the Raiders and 20 QB hits last season in 15 games.
Crosby’s 2025 season was cut short due to a knee injury. He missed the final two games of the regular season and was upset that he couldn’t finish the campaign despite the Raiders being eliminated for playoff contention. He was placed on injured reserve and underwent knee surgery.
With the Raiders owning the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, Las Vegas is entering a rebuild mode and is now stocked with four first-round picks over the next two years.
The Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall.