Maxx Crosby being out of the division was a win for the Denver Broncos this offseason, but going to the Baltimore Ravens would have still kept him in the AFC. Now, after an unprecedented decision by the Ravens to back out of the trade, Crosby is back on the Raiders.
But for how long?
The Raiders went out and made a ton of moves to improve their roster in NFL Free Agency under the assumption that Maxx Crosby and his massive $30 million base salary (and near $36M cap hit) would no longer be around. The most likely outcome seems to be that the Raiders will trade him, and the team that finished in second place behind the Ravens was the Dallas Cowboys.
Maxx Crosby could still be traded out of the AFC completely after Ravens back out on Raiders
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, back on March 6, the Cowboys were willing to offer the Raiders 1st- and 2nd-round picks in exchange for Crosby. The Ravens upped the offer to two 1st-round picks, and the Raiders bit.
Now, the Ravens have decided they don't like the way Crosby's knee injury looks for the long term, but their medical staff is going to evaluate it differently than other NFL teams might. And the Cowboys historically have been willing to take these kinds of risks on players because of Dr. Daniel Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon who has been a major asset for that organization.
For a frame of reference, it was Dr. Cooper who performed the repair surgery on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as well.
The Cowboys' offer could still be on the table, in theory, and they may even be able to get him for a cheaper price at this stage.
All of this is hypothetical, of course, but the idea that the Denver Broncos could get Crosby out of their way for good is at least back on the table. And the Ravens are going to be reeling after a decision like this, because there has been so much movement on the market after the Crosby domino fell over the weekend.
This move hurts the Ravens' offseason plan, it throws a major wrench into the Raiders' offseason plan, and temporarily means their entire free agency class might be on hold.
And if the Cowboys are still interested in Crosby, or the Bears, or the Eagles, or the Lions, the Raiders could really do the Broncos (and others, frankly) a solid and get Crosby out of the AFC completely.