After spending six seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, star defensive end Maxx Crosby found himself bidding an emotional goodbye to the team.

He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, and yet, Crosby admitted that he would remain a Raider for life. 

“I wanted everything good for the Raiders. I bleed silver and black, that’ll never change, and I’m a Raider for life. And I truly want to finish when it’s all said and done, you know, in a Raiders jersey, whenever that time comes. But for the time being, it’s a new day. I’m going to Baltimore,” Crosby said in The Rush podcast.

The 29-year-old was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.

Since then, the franchise moved from Oakland to Las Vegas and remained at the bottom of the charts while Crosby delivered consistently. 

In the 106 total games he’s played so far, Crosby has recorded 278 solo tackles out of 439 total and made 69.5 sacks. He put up career best performance in the 2023 season when he made 14.5 sacks and 90 tackles.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Crosby has played through multiple injuries as he remained the Raiders’ anchor. 

But the consistently disappointing records finally caught up as the Raiders are at last rebuilding themselves from within.

There Is Only One Reason for the Trade: Winning the Super Bowl

Crosby, who holds himself accountable for not winning a Lombardi Trophy with the Raiders, made it clear that he was open to being traded.

"Ever since I've been here, I've had one goal and one mission and that's to become the best version of myself and help bring a championship back to the Raider organization," he said.

“I'm going to give everything in my heart and soul to bring a championship to Baltimore.”

The Ravens seemed to have hit gold with this trade. Although an offensive powerhouse, the franchise ranked low on the defensive ranking charts. They had 354.5 average defensive yards and allowed 42 touchdowns in 2025. 

The Ravens were ranked 24th overall, 10 spots below the Raiders, who ranked 14th thanks to an average of 317.8 defensive yards.

With Crosby on their side, the Ravens are bound to improve their defense now, as their new head coach, Jesse Minter, was previously a defensive coordinator. 

While no one knows how Crosby will fare in the Ravens’ colors, his heart remains with the Raiders.

Do you think he would actually come back to the Raiders? Comment your thoughts on the trade and follow the Cleveland Browns Community for more.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu