Maxx Crosby traded: What does it all mean?

The Maxx Crosby era is over as the Las Vegas Raiders traded the superstar defensive end to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday night for two first-round picks. Let’s look at some key aspects of the trade:

This was happening:

While many fans hoped this was all a media-driven unsubstantial story, the truth is Crosby was always going to be traded. It was my belief since the day Pete Carroll was hired last year that Crosby would want out by time Carroll’s tenure was over if the Raiders hadn’t turned it around. He simply grew tired of losing. The incident in December when he was upset over being put on the injured reserve for the last two games against his wishes was the last star. Crosby was done. The Raiders finally realized it and decided to move on to help the rebuild process.

They did well:

The Raiders reportedly wanted a “Micah Parsons package” for Crosby. Last summer, the Green Bay Packers traded two first-round picks and a veteran player Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for Parsons. The truth was, the Raiders weren’t getting that much because Crosby is three years older than Parsons. But, in the end, the Raiders did well, getting two first rounders for Crosby. There was so much interest in the elite pass-rusher that, the Raiders were in position to get the two first rounders. It was set up well for them and took some of the sting out of dealing the superstar.

Don’t hold it against Spytek:

Last week, at the NFL Combine, Raiders’ general manager John Spytek said he expected to keep Crosby and he was comfortable with how Crosby felt about the franchise. He did give himself an out that he would always listen to trade offers. But he was pretty firm that he was keeping Crosby. You can call Spytek a liar if you wish, but the reality is he played it right. What do you expect him to say? It was a truth situation and the process played out as expected.

Good for Maxx:

This can be a win-win-win trade for the Raiders, the Ravens and Crosby. He was badly ready to go to contender and now he’s with Baltimore, a perennial playoff contender. New Ravens’ head coach Jesse Minter is a defensive wiz and should have a lot of fun with Crosby with joins a solid defense. Crosby was an all-time great Raider. He played every snap and his motor was non-stop. He went from a little-known fourth-round pick from a small school to one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position. This is his time to shine. Also, I know some fans were frustrated that Crosby never said he did or didn’t want to be traded. He kept quiet of out respect to fans. He played it right and he was a great Raider until the end.