Trades have been rescinded in the NFL before. It's nothing new. Still, the Baltimore Ravens' decision to call off the Maxx Crosby deal was nothing short of earth-shattering in NFL circles. The fact that Crosby is elite was part of it.
The timing was even more important. And even though the Seattle Seahawks remain far removed from any of the fallout, the entire affair does put something into sharp relief for Seahawks fans and the NFL at large.
By agreeing to a trade on the eve of the legal tampering period and then backing out just before free agency officially began, the Ravens seemingly messed with the plans of at least half the league.
The Seattle Seahawks already have their own version of Maxx Crosby
The Raiders may have been most directly impacted, but other teams began agreeing to deals with the assumption that Crosby would be in Baltimore next season. When it was announced that that was no longer the case, the fallout was immediate. And it is likely not over yet.
We'll set all that aside for today. As mentioned, the collapse of a trade between two AFC teams doesn't really have much bearing on what Seahawks general manager John Schneider will do. And even though the Seahawks had been occasionally linked to Crosby, that was meaningless.
Virtually every team in the NFL was linked to him in at least a passing manner. Really -- apart from Eric DeCosta and the Ravens, who wouldn't want Maxx Crosby?
Schneider didn't need to think too hard about Crosby because he acquired a comparable player last season. His name is DeMarcus Lawrence.
You can argue that Crosby is more productive than Lawrence. The stats are pretty clear. They are both five-time Pro Bowlers, but Lawrence's have been spread out over his 12 seasons. Crosby has been to five straight Pro Bowls in his seven-year career. Despite playing five fewer seasons, he has more sacks than Lawrence.
But they are virtually identical in one very important way.
Just before the cancellation of the trade, the panelists on an NFL Network segment spelled out exactly what the Ravens would be getting from Crosby. Former players Michael Robinson and Steve Smith Sr. agreed that Crosby's impact on Baltimore's defense would extend well beyond his in-game performance.
The added value would come from his leadership. The way he prepares himself. The way he doesn’t merely attack the quarterback on every down, but prides himself on being a complete player who is just as good against the run.
At one point, one of the analysts noted that whenever new coach Jesse Minter would want to make a point about how to act like a professional, all he would have to do is point to Maxx Crosby.
It is the exact same thing Seattle insiders said about Lawrence last season.
It isn’t as if the Seahawks lacked leadership when they signed Lawrence. They had a classic alpha middle linebacker in Ernest Jones IV. They had a Pro Bowl safety in Julian Love. They have several savvy old timers on the line, like Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed.
All of these players were stars, known for their work ethic and their passion as much as for their talent. Even so, DeMarcus Lawrence cranked things up a notch.
Baltimore also has the dominant middle linebacker in Roquan Smith and the all-everything safety in Kyle Hamilton. John Jenkins and Brent Urban have even more defensive line experience than Williams and Reed.
Still, the Ravens’ defense struggled last season. And now they have a new coach introducing a new system. You can see why they were initially so eager to add a player of Crosby's character.
The Seahawks’ situation wasn’t identical. Mike Macdonald was entering his second season when his GM signed the veteran Lawrence. But he was still in the process of ingraining it. Seattle’s defense had struggled early on in Macdonald’s first season, but they were playing better as the season drew to a close.
So in came Lawrence, ostensibly replacing Dre’Mont Jones, who would eventually find his way to Baltimore last year. The results were evident almost immediately.
The Seahawks defense looked dominant early and only got better. Players were flying all over the field, yet never seemed to be out of position. They played with ferocity as well as with discipline.
And every time a player or coach would be asked about the newfound level of excellence, eventually the answer would come around to DeMarcus Lawrence. The coaches all said it. The players all said it. Boye Mafe, as quoted by Ari Horton in a Seahawks.com article in January, may have said it best.
“For a guy of his pedigree, you would think he might want to take a little break. But he knows that to continue and maintain his production, that’s what it takes. And that’s what you see from him.”
It’s the “that’s what you see from him” part that matters. DLaw leads his teammates by working harder than anyone. Even after 11 years in the league, he was giving every practice snap the same importance as a play in the Super Bowl.
That – more than his six sacks and 20 QB hits, more than his 53 tackles and two scoop and scores – is what helped elevate an already good defense to iconic “dark side” status.
That is what the Ravens might have been getting in Crosby. He plays more snaps than any defensive lineman in the league. You have to drag him off the field. Of course, he is productive. He has averaged ten sacks a season over his seven-year career.
He led the league in tackles-for-loss in 2022 and 2023. When he spoke about coming to Baltimore, one of the first things he mentioned was that the man who has been to five consecutive Pro Bowls still had a lot to learn.
DeMarcus Lawrence helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl because of his talent. But his character may have been even more vital in showing young players like Byron Murphy II and Derick Hall, Drake Thomas, and Nick Emmanwori, how true pros go about their business. In hindsight, Lawrence’s intangibles were one of the key ingredients that put Seattle over the top.
The Baltimore Ravens could have made the same bet on Maxx Crosby. Time will tell whether they blew a golden opportunity or not. Fortunately for Seattle, John Schneider, Mike Macdonald, and DeMarcus Lawrence were all on the same page, and they have the Lombardi Trophy as proof.