Steelers See Dramatic Shift As Team Raiders' Maxx Crosby Is Expected To Play For In 2026 Is Revealed

The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision-makers had to be just as shocked as the rest of the NFL late on Tuesday evening when the Baltimore Ravens oddly called off the trade they agreed upon with the Las Vegas Raiders for edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The initial reports suggested that the defender failed his physical due to a knee issue, as he has been recovering from a surgery he got to repair his meniscus. Immediately after the bombshell of news, many speculated on which teams could potentially swoop in and try to acquire the phenomenal pass rusher. More clarity is slowing coming to the surface.

The Ravens were originally giving up two first-round picks, something that was seen as just a little steep, especially for someone turning 29 prior to the 2026 season beginning. Despite this, General Manager Eric DeCosta was comfortable agreeing to the trade. Then, after millions and millions of dollars were given out by Las Vegas throughout the legal tampering period, Crosby was suddenly on a plane back to the West Coast from Baltimore.

This has to be infuriating for the Raiders' front office and Crosby alike. The two sides seemed to finally be comfortable with a divorce, but now are in an odd position. He can stay with the only team he has ever known, or Las Vegas can accept a much more underwhelming package. Early on Wednesday morning, organizations in the AFC — like the Steelers — got word from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport about where the defender is expected to play in 2026.

"Raiders star Maxx Crosby, now back from Baltimore with the trade to the Ravens off, is headed back into the building in Las Vegas, ready to resume his training and rehab program. His mindset: Crosby is ready to play football for the Raiders, ready to move forward."

In a dramatic twist, it now appears that both the Raiders and Crosby could be thinking that the best place for him to play to start the 2026 campaign is in Las Vegas. Things can change and another team might be willing to take the risk on his surgically-repaired knee, but the Ravens' rejection of the trade will make it very hard for a new deal to commence.

"Two months after a full meniscus repair, Crosby "looks great and feels great," source said. But the timing drastically limits the possibility of a trade. Teams have called the Raiders since the news broke looking for a good deal. Crosby's focus now is on rehab & getting back."

This is one of the more shocking sequence of events in NFL history when it comes to a couple of conference rivals agreeing to a trade. No one could have predicted what happened on Tuesday, and teams across the league went about their respective legal tampering periods under the assumption that Crosby was headed to the AFC North and Ravens.

Pittsburgh will not be playing the Raiders in 2026, barring a showdown in the postseason, so this is significant news for the Steelers. The franchise went from having to game plan for Crosby twice a year, to not having to worry about him at all. There is always the possibility that the dynamic edge rusher proves that he is healthy early on in the campaign, which could lead to a trade deadline deal if Las Vegas is performing as poorly as it is expected to.

Steelers' AFC North Rival Just Got Itself In A Lot Of Hot Water

Regardless of what truly happened with Crosby's physical, this whole situation paints a horrible picture for Baltimore. The physical getting done and then DeCosta and co. pulling out of the trade less than 24 hours prior to the new league year beginning presents horrible optics. 

This specific development could absolutely prevent other franchises from talking to the Ravens in the future, which has a domino effect that directly affects the Steelers in a positive manner. To put it bluntly, Baltimore is in shambles.

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