Maxx Crosby’s sudden departure from the Las Vegas Raiders to join the Baltimore Ravens generated all sorts of reactions in the NFL. However, few are as genuine and hilarious as Sean Payton’s, who even made him a hard-to-refuse offer.
The star defensive end has been a thorn in the side of the entire AFC West for the last six seasons. During this time, Crosby racked up numbers worthy of a video game:
- 439 tackles, 278 solo tackles
- 133 tackles for loss
- 69.5 sacks
- 29 passes defended
- 11 forced fumbles
- 1 interception
Facing him twice a year was a cause for concern for the division’s quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix. That’s why Payton was happy to see him go.
Payton celebrates Crosby’s trade with a peculiar offer
The Broncos’ head coach didn’t hide his happiness at seeing one of his nemeses leave. In a message to analyst Jay Glazer, Payton even offered to pay for Crosby’s trip to Baltimore.
“Sean Payton called me soooo fired up the Raiders traded Maxx Crosby and even just texted Maxx saying he’s offering to pay for a private plane one-way flight to Baltimore, happy to see him out of the division. Funny,” Glazer stated on X (formerly Twitter).
However, Payton also showed his respect for Crosby. According to Glazer, the Broncos’ head coach also wrote to his rival:
You are an inspiration to watch and compete against.
According to Glazer, “Payton has long raved about how Maxx never slows down during games.”
The Raiders are the big winners of the Crosby trade
Baltimore gave up its first-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 drafts in exchange for Crosby. This leaves Las Vegas with two first-round picks in this draft, the No. 1 and No. 14.
If the general manager John Spytek, follows the predictions, he will select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick, leaving room to bolster other key areas of the team.
Although it will be difficult for the Raiders to jump from last to first place in the division in a single season, the Crosby deal could be the beginning of the rebuild that fans have been waiting for for years.
Read the full article here
