The Denver Broncos and the rest of the AFC West, not including the Las Vegas Raiders, got some great news on Friday when the major Maxx Crosby trade broke. The elite pass-rusher is headed to the Baltimore Ravens, but the Raiders did manage to get two first-round picks back.
The Raiders now have a ton of NFL Draft capital, and while that could end up benefiting them big-time, there is also no guarantee that the front office is able to draft the right players with those picks, so there are two sides to this coin here.
Anyway, Crosby's dominance against the Broncos during his career was actually the best he played against any team, so this is especially awesome for Denver. Sean Payton, the team's frisky, mastermind, veteran head coach, also did not hold back with how happy he is that Crosby is gone.
The Denver Broncos are clearly super happy that Maxx Crosby is on a new team
This update from Jay Glazer on Payton's reaction to the Crosby trade is how every single Broncos fan is feeling right now:
Sean Payton called me soooo fired up the Raiders traded Maxx Crosby and even just texted Maxx saying he’s offering to pay a private plane one-way flight to Baltimore, happy to see him out of the division. Funny
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 7, 2026
But also added, “You are an inspiration to watch and compete…
Folks, this is hilarious, and every Broncos fan surely feels exactly how Payton feels right now. In 14 career games against the Broncos, Crosby sports a 9-5 record and had amassed 16.5 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits, which are all the most of any team he has played against.
The Broncos do not play the Ravens in 2026, but they will see the team in 2027. Overall, this does weaken the Raiders, even with the two first-round picks coming back in the deal. Vegas did get worse, and they did take a huge risk, as those first-rounders are not guaranteed to be hits.
Besides the obvious of the Raiders taking Fernando Mendoza, the rest of their situation is a bit of a mess. Sure, they got a ton of cap relief from this move, but once again, there are no guarantees here. Just because a team has a ton of draft capital, an incoming rookie quarterback, and cap space, the path to success is set, but it's not a sure-fire thing that the Raiders will go down that path correctly.
Ideally, not only does Mendoza not pan out, but the draft picks Vegas uses end up not being for players who make an impact. Given the state of the AFC West after this trade, the Broncos chances at winning the division have surely increased.