Despite being a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the most prominent pass rushers in the National Football League today, Maxx Crosby finds himself in a rather rare scenario. His current franchise, the Las Vegas Raiders, attempted to trade him for a pair of first-round draft picks to the Baltimore Ravens, only for the Ravens to ultimately back out of the deal at the last second, citing concerns over a failed physical.
As a result, it could be argued that neither team truly wanted Crosby in the end, and according to Johnny Manziel, that very talking point could ultimately fuel Crosby towards a prolific performance in 2026. “This guy is going to be healthy enough,” the former Heisman trophy winner exclaimed during the latest episode of his self-titled podcast.
“This guy is going to come back and have 10, 12, 15+ sack seasons, and he’s going to be a game changer,” he said, adding: “I think we can all agree that we want to see Maxx go to the playoffs and play meaningful games, but from a different point of a view, if you’re a Ravens player right now, how do you trust [Eric] DeCosta?”
In referencing all of the shortcomings that the Ravens have had in recent times, including their inability to make the playoffs in a year in which they entered as the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl, Manziel suggested that the true loser of the entire ordeal is Baltimore. The franchise was able to pivot its way towards Trey Hendrickson, who has been just as productive in his own right. But according to Manziel, the former Cincinnati Bengal just doesn’t offer the same level of excitement that Crosby does.
“The Ravens are getting another great player at that position,” he prefaced. “They wanted to try and pair these guys up, but to Maxx and everybody in this situation, just keep your head up and let things play themselves out.”
The Raiders have reportedly taken Crosby off the market, and that seems to have been corroborated by the 28-year-old’s post, which asserted, “Im A Raider. I’m Back. Run That Sh*t.” So, for better or worse, it seems as if Crosby will have another chance at completing his original goal of spending the full duration of his career in Las Vegas.
As far as his goal of winning playoff games with them is concerned, well, that’s a completely separate issue. The inevitable arrival of Fernando Mendoza figures to help with that a bit, but there are still plenty of other holes on the roster that need to be addressed as well.
Simply put, it may not happen anytime soon, but perhaps in two or three years, when things are a bit more solidified, the Raiders may finally be able to claim their first divisional banner since 2002.