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Maxx Crosby trade: NFL insider reveals how close Cowboys came to trading for All-Pro DE

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax03/07/26BarkleyTruax

Five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby is heading to Baltimore after the Ravens sent two first round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for the superstar DE. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it came down to the Ravens and Dallas Cowboys.

Fowler, who appeared during SportsCenter on Saturday morning, revealed that Dallas was in contention for Crosby until the end. However, they just couldn’t get the deal done.

“The Cowboys really wanted to make this deal happen. They had a first and a second round pick ready to go, including the No. 12 overall pick this year, but they had their limits,” Fowler explained. “Dallas told me they just couldn’t go far enough when they already gave up a first and a second for Quinnen Williams back in the fall. And so the Raiders just said, ‘Look, two (first round picks) is better than whatever package you have.'”

Fowler said that Dallas tried to sweeten the deal with veteran players. However, the package Baltimore put together was simply more attractive and better fit the Raiders current needs.

“Vegas said, ‘We want picks, we want to get younger, we want to get better in a hurry.’ So Baltimore had the bird in hand in the afternoon, waited it out, got it done,” Fowler said. “In the end, there were some other teams on the periphery, but it was really Baltimore and Dallas leverage against each other.”

With Dallas unwilling to give up another pair of first-rounders, the Raiders focused in on the Ravens’ package. Now, Crosby will head to Baltimore to anchor the pass rush on new head coach Jesse Minter’s defense.

During his seven seasons with the Raiders, Crosby made five consecutive Pro Bowls. He was also a two-time Second Team All-Pro selection.

This past season, he had 73 total tackles, a career-high 28 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks across 15 games. He notably missed the last two games of the season after the Raiders put him on season-ending injured reserve, which led him to ultimately leaving the team facility. Now, he’s on the move and set to enter the second chapter of his career with the Ravens.

For Las Vegas, it will now get the No. 14 overall pick in 2026 in addition to the Ravens’ 2027 first-rounder. The Cowboys remain in control of their two first-round draft picks (No. 12, 20).