Raiders To Trade DE Maxx Crosby To Ravens For Two First-Round Picks
After speculation earlier today that the Ravens were making a push for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a deal has reportedly been made. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Las Vegas has agreed to send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens’ first-round picks for the next two years. The trade cannot be officially processed until the new league year starts next week, but the agreement appears to be in place. 
It had been reported that the Ravens were one of a few teams making a strong push for Crosby, and about half an hour ago, NFL insider Jason La Canfora relayed that the Ravens weren’t just interested here, they were “desperate for an impact (defensive) lineman.” It was actually in this post from La Canfora that it was first reported that Baltimore was willing to deal two first-round picks.
That news, by itself, was headline-worthy. A franchise notorious for the way it builds through the draft, the Ravens had never — in their short, 30-year history — traded a future first-round pick — let alone two — in exchange for a player. The closest such situation came all the back in 2003, the only other time the team gave up a future first-round pick. They gave their 2004 first-rounder to the Patriots in order to move back up into the first-round, after having taken Arizona State record-setting pass rusher Terrell Suggs at No. 10 overall, to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th pick that year.
This should speak volumes about how badly the Ravens felt they needed to acquire Crosby. It was only a year ago that Baltimore finished just behind Denver for the most sacks in the NFL thanks to breakout performances from veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh who combined together to take down the quarterback 22.5 times. This year, the Ravens held the third-lowest sack total in the league. Van Noy missed a couple games and Oweh was traded to Los Angeles after only five, but the two defenders’ sack total in Baltimore this year was 2.0.
Perhaps even more detrimental to the Ravens’ pass rush in 2025 was the season-ending loss of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The second-team All-Pro tackle suffered a Week 2 neck injury that not only sidelined him for the remainder of the year but also put Madubuike’s long-term future in question. It’s been six months since the disruptive lineman went down, and with the team still not able to offer a positive update on the matter, reports of Baltimore’s desperation for an elite defensive lineman and today’s subsequent trade may spell out the worse for Madubuike.
With the future of the Ravens pass rush looking as dour as it ever has, what better gift could new head coach Jesse Minter be presented with than Crosby? Minter’s defense is Los Angeles last year saw much more success than Baltimore’s, even getting 7.5 sacks out of Oweh, who was sackless before getting traded. Minter also got to see Crosby up close and personal three times during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. One has to imagine Minter had some influence on the decision to pursue the AFC West star.
Trade interest in Crosby dates all the way back to 2023. Having just signed a four-year, $94MM extension of his rookie contract, Crosby delivered a breakout season, notching 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. During another lost season in Las Vegas, the vultures circled over Crosby around the trade deadline, but the Raiders rebuked all advances. In an effort to endorse then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the official job, the fiercely loyal Crosby threatened to request a trade should Pierce not be retained.
When the trade deadline rolled around the next season, and Pierce’s 2-4 start as the full head coach had the vultures circling again, the team had to fight off trade inquiries once again. In the offseason last year, trade interest once again swirled around Crosby and the Raiders, but ultimately, the team signed him to a new three-year, $106.5MM extension keeping him under contract through the 2029 NFL season. For the third trade deadline in a row, though, Vegas had to continue to deny that Crosby was available.
Things took a turn for the worse near the end of the season when, in an attempt to secure their best chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders shut Crosby down for the final two games of the regular season. In response to hearing his team’s decision, Crosby immediately exited the facility, and it was reported that he would evaluate his future in Vegas. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that decision by the Raiders “soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him.” Ever the loyal teammate who once had claimed hopes of finishing his career with the Raiders, Crosby did not publicize his trade requests as the Raiders muddied the waters to maintain leverage in trade negotiations, even though both sides “knew that Crosby’s future was sealed back in mid-December.”
A year after having signed his extension, Crosby finally will get traded. It had been reported that the Raiders were looking for a Micah Parsons– or Khalil Mack-level package in exchange for Crosby. In regard to Parsons, that meant two first-round picks and an impact player, while Mack was traded — along with a second- and fifth-round pick — for two firsts-, a third-, and a sixth-round pick. There were rumored contenders in Super Bowl participants Seattle and New England, but early thoughts were that the Parsons/Mack-like asking price was too high.
The Raiders didn’t feel a need to lower the price, though. They felt that, as interest in Crosby grew and the pressure to offer just a bit more continued to increase, someone would eventually meet the price they needed to hear to pull the trigger.
The Bears and Cowboys entered the fold, and it was disclosed that the Ravens joined the chase a few days later. It simply came down to the fact that Ravens were the first to breach the threshold of two first-round picks, which was apparently, all the Raiders were actually looking for. The Cowboys reportedly were only willing to offer a first- and second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite holding two Day 1 selections after the Parsons deal. According to Russini, the Jaguars also attempted to get in the mix, but the lack of a first-round pick this year — from the trade up to draft Travis Hunter — prevented them from putting together a competitive offer.
In exchange for finally making this trade, the Raiders have put themselves in excellent position for a reboot in 2026. They now hold the Nos. 1 and 14 picks in the upcoming draft, and according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the effects of the Crosby trade and the eventual release of quarterback Geno Smith will put Las Vegas at a league-leading approximate $127MM in cap space. With a fresh staff under newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak and all signs pointing to the arrival of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first pick of the draft, the Raiders are as primed as they’ll ever be to make the turnaround of the century.
Raiders To Release QB Geno Smith
Geno Smith will indeed prove to be a one-and-done passer in Vegas. Barring a last-minute trade, the Raiders will release the veteran, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Smith’s future has been in question since Vegas secured the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. Earlier this week, signs increasingly pointed to a release taking place in the event no trade partner was found. Suitors will no doubt wait for Smith to become a free agent before making a push to acquire him.
The 35-year-old does not appear to be particularly downtrodden over today’s development, given his reaction on social media. Smith will become one of many veteran quarterbacks on the market with free agency looming. A long-term commitment would come as a surprise, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports multiple teams are expected to show interest in this case.
The Seahawks brought in Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator last offseason. That set up a potential pairing with Smith, but with Seattle bringing in Sam Darnold Smith wound up being dealt to Vegas. Immediately after the Super Bowl, Kubiak was hired by the Raiders as their new head coach. Once again, though, no time will be spent with Smith in his case. A parting of ways points even further to Vegas selecting Fernando Mendoza first overall in April.
That remains the widespread expectation, but Dianna Russini of The Athletic cautions the Raiders’ preference would be to have Mendoza sit at the beginning of his rookie campaign. If insurance for the Heisman winner is to be added, Russini points to free agency as the route GM John Spytek and Co. will take. Vegas is not lacking in cap space, so finances will not be an issue when QB options are evaluated.
Cutting Smith will yield $8MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $18.5MM. He was on course to see $8MM in 2026 compensation become guaranteed on March 13, leading to the timing of this decision. Smith will join Kyler Murray and – in all likelihood – Tua Tagovailoa as starting quarterbacks released by their respective teams. Their free agent prospects will be worth watching closely once the new league year begins next week.
In 2022, Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year honors with a strong Seattle showing. The team’s Russell Wilson replacement led the NFL in completion percentage that season, and in the following year he secured a second straight Pro Bowl nod. Smith landed a new Seahawks contract in 2023, and he inked a two-year, $75MM pact upon arrival in Vegas. A less lucrative deal is no doubt coming this time around after the former second-rounder topped the league in interceptions (17) in 2025.
Offensive success proved highly difficult to come by for Vegas this past season. Kubiak and a much different coaching staff is now in place, and his ability to develop Mendoza and a core led by tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty will be critical moving forward. Smith will not be part of that effort, as his next NFL opportunity awaits.
Bears To Acquire C Garrett Bradbury From Patriots
Garrett Bradbury is heading back to the NFC North. Days after Drew Dalman‘s retirement, the Bears have a deal in place to acquire Bradbury from the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Chicago is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) to New England for Bradbury, who logged six seasons as the Vikings’ starting center before being cut in 2025. The former first-round pick started every game for the Patriots last season, doing so after logging 88 starts with the Vikings from 2019-24.
The 2025 offseason dispersed Dalman and Bradbury elsewhere. A four-year Falcon, Dalman signed a three-year, $42MM Bears deal. Not too long after his Vikings release, Bradbury landed in Foxborough via a two-year, $9.5MM pact. The Bears will pick up Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary.
This trade comes after Tyler Biadasz, who visited the Bears in the wake of the Dalman retirement news, agreed to a three-year Chargers deal worth $30MM. Chicago will save quite a bit at center compared to Dalman or Biadasz, though Bradbury will likely be a downgrade from Dalman’s 2025 work.
Pro Football Focus graded Bradbury as the NFL’s No. 29 overall center last season. The Patriots voyaged to Super Bowl LX, but their O-line featured shaky stretches beyond merely Will Campbell‘s late-season struggles. Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are certainly familiar with Bradbury from previous NFC North clashes, but it is worth wondering if the Bears will add a center option in the draft as well. Bradbury will turn 31 in June.
The Vikings gave Bradbury a three-year, $15.75MM deal in 2023; that came after then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not pick up the Rick Spielman draftee’s fifth-year option. PFF has never graded Bradbury as a top-10 center, but the advanced metrics site did place him 11th in 2022. Rankings outside the top 20 have followed in the years since.
The Bears, who officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list today, look to be passing on a free agent market that also includes Connor McGovern, Cade Mays, Lloyd Cushenberry and Ethan Pocic. Tyler Linderbaum is PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, but with Biadasz potentially being too pricey for the Bears (if that is indeed the case), the four-year Ravens starter’s explosive market certainly would be.
Chicago looks set to plug Bradbury into an O-line returning starters Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright — while LT Ozzy Trapilo will spend part of the season rehabbing a patellar tendon tear — while New England will need a new center. Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook mentioned Bradbury as a potential cut candidate. It is worth wondering if the Patriots will be in the market for a free agent upgrade soon. The Bradbury trade will also mark a reunion for Thuney and Bradbury, who played together at NC State.
Lions Plan To Release LT Taylor Decker
Taylor Decker agreed to put off retirement earlier this offseason, but it looks like the veteran left tackle will be seeking a second NFL employer.
The 10-year blocker announced on Instagram he is being released by the Lions (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Decker was set to earn $14.9MM in base salary next season; none of that amount was guaranteed. As our Detroit Offseason Outlook piece indicated, Decker was due a $1.5MM salary guarantee on March 15. Decker’s post reveals requested this release.
It sounds like the Lions were angling for a Decker pay cut, as the former first-round pick notes discussions were ongoing about his contract. Decker, 32, was tied to a three-year, $60MM deal that ran through the 2027 season. The Ohio State product played through injury last season, only missing three games. A year after the Lions lost center cornerstone Frank Ragnow, they are splitting up their Pro Bowl Decker-Penei Sewell tackle tandem.
This release will save Detroit $11.6MM in cap space, though it will also leave a significant void at a premium position. Decker has started 140 career games with the Lions since being the No. 16 overall pick in 2016. Decker’s 140 starts are the third-most by a tackle in Lions history — behind Jeff Backus and Lomas Brown.
An essential part of Dan Campbell‘s turnaround in Detroit, Decker made his first Pro Bowl in 2024 — after signing his $20MM-per-year extension. That was Decker’s third Lions contract, after he had signed a four-year, $59.65MM deal in 2020. Decker said after the season he would take extensive time to determine if an 11th NFL slate was in the cards for him. Although Decker recently announced he intends to play, it is worth wondering if he is open to continuing his career outside of Detroit.
When Decker missed much of the 2021 season, the Lions used then-rookie Sewell at left tackle. That could be an option once again, but Sewell has established himself as a dominant right tackle. Sewell suddenly represents the last man standing from the 2023 O-line that powered the Lions to the playoffs. Pro Football Focus graded Decker as the league’s No. 39 overall tackle last season and has been high on his play throughout his Detroit decade. He ranked ninth, per the advanced metrics site, in 2023 and landed his second Lions extension in July 2024.
In the spring, Decker underwent surgery to relieve pain in his shoulder caused by bone spurs in his rotator cuff. He began training camp on the active/PUP list as a result, and though he suited up for the start of the regular season, he did miss three last season due to a shoulder ailment. It will be interesting to see if Decker lands elsewhere soon,
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/6/26
Friday’s RFA and ERFA tender decisions:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Broncos: TE Lucas Krull
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: RB Kimani Vidal
- Vikings: LB Bo Richter, RB Zavier Scott
After a strong campaign backing up an injury-depleted running backs room, Vidal gets the most obvious ERFA tender of all time. Starting 10 of 13 game appearances, Vidal rushed for 643 yards and three touchdowns after injuries to Najee Harris, Omarion Hampton, and others.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/6/26
Here are today’s NFL minor moves as we head into the final weekend before the start of free agency:
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: RB Tyler Badie, DT Jordan Jackson, S Devon Key, OLB Dondrea Tillman
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: RB Jaret Patterson, S Kendall Williamson
New York Giants
- Released: T James Hudson
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: K Jake Moody
Initially opening the season as a starter on the line in New York in place of Andrew Thomas, Hudson was benched after struggling in a first-string role. He had been signed to serve as a swing tackle for the Giants, but after his early-season struggles, he failed to see much playing time for the remainder of the season.
After getting waived by the team that drafted him in the third round, Moody landed on the Bears’ practice squad before the Commanders signed him to their active roster. Washington made the move after watching Moody connect on eight of nine field goal attempts in two games for Chicago then watched Moody convert 10 of 11 for their team over the final six weeks of the season. Not willing to pay the prices on a restricted free agent tender, the Commanders opted not to tender him but continued on the path to a new deal as an unrestricted free agent.
Browns Plan To Place Second-Round Tender On S Ronnie Hickman
Three years ago, the Browns signed safety Ronnie Hickman as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State. Fastforward three years and Hickman has established himself as a starting safety in Cleveland. With Hickman becoming a restricted free agent this offseason, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Browns plan to place a second-round tender on the 24-year-old safety. 
Restricted free agents are free to negotiate and sign with other teams, but the original team can assign a tender that affects what needs to happen for the restricted free agent to be moved. With a second-round tender, the Browns have committed Hickman to at least a one-year, $5.81MM deal to stay in Cleveland.
Hickman will still be able to negotiate with other teams and potentially get a bigger deal, though. If he does find a better deal, Cleveland will get the option to match the new team’s offer sheet, If the Browns choose not to match the new team’s offer, they will be granted a second-round pick from the new team. As long as the transaction takes place more than two days before the draft, the second-round pick must be exchanged in the same offseason.
Hickman immediately found a role on the Browns as a rookie. His ability to fill in at safety allowed for Grant Delpit to roam around the defense and serve as a bit of a Swiss Army knife. In the two years since, Hickman has established himself as the team’s stalwart in the defensive backfield. His continued constancy as a deep safety in the past two years has helped the Browns defense establish itself as one of the league’s better units.
On fewer rotations in his first two years, Hickman combined for 70 total tackles, an interception, and four passes defensed. In 2025 alone, Hickman’s 103 total tackles was good for third on the team, and he saw career highs in interceptions (2) and passes defensed (7). The second-round tender is a fairly strong endorsement from the Browns who clearly wish to retain their young starting safety moving forward. We’ll now wait to see if any other teams decide to risk their second-round pick for the opportunity to lure Hickman away from Cleveland.
Dolphins Release K Jason Sanders, FB Alec Ingold
A busy day ahead of the start of free agency continues as it was announced today that the Dolphins will be parting ways with kicker Jason Sanders (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and fullback Alec Ingold (per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). The Dolphins had attempted to rework the deals of both veterans to help them stay in Miami, but with no deals coming to fruition, Sanders and Ingold will head to free agency. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the pair of transactions will put the Dolphins’ cap space at about $5MM. 
Sanders had been the Dolphins answer in the kicking game for seven years before this past season. Drafted in the seventh-round out of New Mexico in 2018, Sanders immediately put an end to what had been a consistent rotation of kickers on one- or two-year stays dating back to a four-year tenure of Dan Carpenter. Though not asked to do much, Sanders delivered as a rookie only missing two field goal attempts and one extra point attempt. He saw a few more misses in his sophomore campaign but reestablished himself in 2020 with a first-team All-Pro performance.
In the final dying days of the 2025 preseason, it was disclosed that Sanders was dealing with a hip injury that was expected to keep him out for the first four or five weeks of the season, necessitating a temporary replacement. When 12 weeks of the season had come and gone, and Sanders was still nowhere to be seen, newer reports out of Miami indicated that there was no sense of whether or not Sanders was any closer to a return or whether or not he would return at all.
In Sanders’ absence, the Dolphins turned to young journeyman kicker Riley Patterson to fill in. Only 26 years old, Patterson made the Dolphins the sixth NFL team of his career. He’d previously spent time with the Lions, Jaguars, Browns, Jets, and Falcons and had only kicked an entire season with a team once — 2022 in Jacksonville. Patterson was outstanding in replacement duty, converting 27 of 29 field goals attempts and 34 of 35 extra point attempts.
Per Jackson, the Dolphins have not been actively pursuing a new contract with Patterson. Not wanting to pit the two specialists against each other, Miami focused their efforts first on trying to convince Sanders to restructure at a lower rate. Now that a deal with Sanders is no longer being pursued, it stands to reason that the Dolphins may now pursue a renewed agreement with Patterson.
Ingold’s time in Miami comes to an end after four years with the team. Joining the Dolphins after an initial first three years with the Raiders, Ingold has found plenty of use on one of the few teams left still utilizing a fullback. Starting 47 of 66 game appearances, Ingold got most of his use as an extra run blocker, though he has contributed in the pass game, as well. A team captain who was chosen three times to be the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, Ingold’s biggest impact may have been in the locker room and the community.
As the Dolphins clear out some low-hanging fruit to clear up a bit of cap space ahead of free agency, Sanders will see free agency for the first time, and Ingold will now look to find a new NFL squad looking to utilize a fullback.
Raiders Release OL Alex Cappa
Alex Cappa‘s reunion with Tom Brady and John Spytek did not lead to a full-time starting job. The veteran guard will be a one-and-done in Las Vegas.
The Raiders announced Cappa’s release Friday. The move will create just more than $5MM in cap space for the AFC West team. The veteran guard did log some center snaps in 2025, playing there more often than at guard, but the Raiders will call it a day despite also having four-year guard starter Dylan Parham unsigned.’
[RELATED: Assessing Raiders’ Offseason Outlook]
Cappa signed a two-year, $11MM deal following his 2025 Bengals release. The Raiders used the former Brady Buccaneers teammate as an eight-game starter. Cappa, 31, is an eight-year veteran with 104 starts on his NFL resume.
Formerly Tampa Bay’s Ali Marpet guard mate, Cappa did not end up starting in Super Bowl LV due to his only notable injury with the Bucs. The 2018 third-round pick returned in 2021 but left for a Bengals deal in 2022. As Cincinnati overhauled its O-line after a 2021 Joe Burrow sack parade, Cappa inked a four-year, $35MM deal and joined Ted Karras and La’el Collins as veteran imports that offseason. The Bengals cut Collins after one year, while Karras remains with the team.
Lining up as the Bengals’ right guard for three seasons, Cappa received a pink slip before his final year on that $35MM pact. Asked to play a new position with the Raiders, Cappa struggled. As run lanes for rookie Ashton Jeanty were sparse last season, Pro Football Focus graded Cappa as the NFL’s third-worst center (among those with enough snaps to qualify). The Raiders have Jordan Meredith (PFF’s sixth-worst 2025 center) and Jackson Powers-Johnson — a Rimington award winner who has been asked to play guard in the pros — contracted among interior O-linemen. Parham can begin speaking to other teams Monday.
Texans To Extend TE Dalton Schultz
Less than 24 hours after agreeing to a one-year extension with Danielle Hunter, the Texans have a deal in place with Dalton Schultz. Like Hunter, it is a one-year bump.
Schultz is extending his contract through 2027 at a rate of $12.6MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Between the 2026 and ’27 seasons, Schultz is now due $17.6MM guaranteed. Schultz is heading into his fourth Texans season, and this extension positions the former Cowboys draftee to play a fifth in Houston. This move comes hours after the Texans created $8MM in cap space by releasing Joe Mixon.
[RELATED: Texans To Acquire David Montgomery From Lions]
Initially joining the Texans on a midlevel deal (one year, $6.25MM), Schultz impressed in C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season and reupped on an upper-crust pact (3/36). That came shortly before free agency in 2024. Two years later, Schultz became a Texans priority again after another strong season.
Catching a career-high 82 passes, Schultz totaled 777 yards and three touchdowns last season. While the former fourth-rounder’s yards-per-reception number dropped to 9.5 — his first such season since 2020 — Schultz operated as Stroud’s No. 2 target behind Nico Collins during a season in which Houston again featured a subaverage ground attack.
Schultz, 30 in July, was set to carry a $15.9MM cap number in 2026. That will drop thanks to this extension. Should Schultz play out this deal, he will have split his career into five-year runs with Dallas and Houston. The Cowboys turned to Schultz after their Blake Jarwin extension did not pan out, with the former ultimately becoming the team’s Jason Witten successor. The Cowboys prioritized Schultz via a franchise tag in 2022, but like Mike Gesicki in Miami, no extension came to pass before that July’s deadline. A disagreement on term length between Schultz and the Cowboys led him to the market in 2023, and he has not tested it since.
While Schultz’s career-best yardage season remains his 808-yard 2021 in Dallas, he put up 635 yards in his Houston debut to help Stroud to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. After a 535-yard 2024, the pass-catching tight end bounced back to help the team return to the divisional round in 2025. The Texans are a defense-powered operation, but they now have Schultz and Collins signed beyond 2026. Those deals pair with the team’s pair of Iowa State-developed wideouts — Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel; both players are tied to rookie contracts through 2028.