Forget March Madness. The NFL is in Maxx Madness.
The Maxx Crosby trade to the Baltimore Ravens is off. Does that put the Buffalo Bills back in play?
The Las Vegas Raiders said Tuesday evening that the Ravens “have backed out” of their trade agreement for Crosby, and ESPN reported Baltimore pulled out because of medical concerns that arose during Crosby’s failed physical. The deal would have sent Crosby to Baltimore for the Ravens’ 2026 first-round pick at No. 14 and a 2027 first-round pick.
Trades could not become official until the new league year began at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which is why the agreement was still able to fall apart.
The failed Crosby trade could ripple across the NFL.
Bills were already interested in Maxx Crosby
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported the Bills “did have their toe in the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes” before bowing out. Breer wrote that Buffalo’s No. 26 overall pick did not stack up with Baltimore’s No. 14, and that the Bills would have needed to add a second-round pick to compete with what the Ravens and Dallas Cowboys were offering.
Since then, Buffalo has already sent its 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears in the D.J. Moore trade. Crosby may be back in play, but he is still not easy to acquire.
Still, the fit is obvious.
Buffalo has spent years searching for a true game-changing edge rusher. Greg Rousseau led the Bills with eight sacks in 2024 and seven in 2025, and Buffalo has had only two double-digit sack seasons from any player since 2016.
Crosby is one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, with 69.5 career sacks. He has made five straight Pro Bowls and has recorded at least 10 sacks four times in his seven-year career. He had 10 sacks in 2025.
Breer suggested Buffalo’s interest was real. He grouped the Bills with the Cowboys, Bears and Ravens among the teams lined up on Crosby at the combine before the cost forced Buffalo to back away. Dallas is not expected to pursue Crosby a second time because its since agreed on a trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary.
Crosby’s contract and the Bills’ salary cap situation
The bigger issue for the Bills is money.
Over The Cap listed Buffalo at roughly $14.3 million over the 2026 salary cap as of Wednesday morning, one of only four teams still in the red. The Bills have already traded for Moore — who makes $24.5 million per season — and restructured the contracts of Spencer Brown, Ed Oliver, Tyler Bass and signed Dawson Knox to an extension. Buffalo could still restructure Josh Allen and Dion Dawkins.
Crosby is under contract through 2029 with a 2026 cap hit of about $35.8 million. His 2027 base salary of $30 million is set to become fully guaranteed on March 13.
Baltimore backed out because of the failed physical, and Crosby’s trade value could dip as a result. He underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee after playing through the injury for months before the Raiders shut him down for the final two games of the 2025 regular season.
The Bills were originally priced out of a Crosby deal by Baltimore’s offer. But the Raiders may have lost some leverage now that his medical status is part of the negotiation.
That does not make Buffalo the favorite. But it does put the Bills back in the conversation.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Are Bills back in play for Maxx Crosby after Ravens back out of trade?
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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