The Seattle Seahawks will play the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in 2026, but the game might have just gotten a bit easier after Vegas traded elite edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. The Raiders are now in full rebuild mode and should be easy pickings for Seattle next year.
The bittersweetness comes in that Seattle would be taking advantage of a team still trying to find itself in the first year of Klint Kubiak as head coach. Kubiak, of course, was the Seahawks' offensive coordinator in 2025, helping lead the team to a Super Bowl victory.
The Raiders dealt Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round draft picks. This means Vegas will have the first overall pick and the No. 14 overall choice. The first selection seems clear.
Raiders trading Maxx Crosby helps the Seattle Seahawks
Las Vegas is expected to take quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick, giving Kubiak a rookie quarterback to mold and prepare for long-term success. This also means that the very good Seahawks defense (no matter who leaves in free agency, Mike Macdonald will almost certainly have a good defense) will take on a first-year player when they take on the Raiders.
Without Maxx Crosby, however, Las Vegas' pass rush is likely to be diminished. Even with Crosby in 2025, the Raiders were 27th in terms of pressure percentage. Crosby had 18 more pressures than any other player on the team, though, and 5.5 more sacks (he had 10).
Assuming Mendoza has a learning curve as a rookie, and also safely assuming he starts for Las Vegas immediately, coupled with the loss of Maxx Crosby, the Raiders might have a young team with potential, but not one ready to defeat the Seahawks next season. Seattle should assume the victory at this point.
Of course, Crosby being moved to the Ravens means he won't end up with Seattle. The Seahawks could have used him, as Macdonald and general manager John Schneider may need to rebuild their edge rush group this offseason. Boye Mafe could leave in free agency, and DeMarcus Lawrence could retire.
Trading two first-round picks to get Crosby was probably too costly for Schneider, however. Seattle only has four draft picks currently, and the GM likely doesn't want to have fewer than that, especially by losing the team's top selection. Having Maxx Crosby play his home games at Lumen Field would have been grand, but it was probably never a potentially realistic situation.