Over the past few weeks, Patriots fans have gotten their hopes up that the Mike Vrabel regime would make a big splash and trade for a player like Maxx Crosby to kick off the 2026 offseason with a bang, something the team is not known for doing. And based on countless rumors, it looked like it was a possibility until Friday night.
There was plenty of chatter connecting the Patriots to the 5-time Pro Bowler, even after the Raiders revealed their egregious asking price.
But that changed when the Ravens pulled off the blockbuster move for Crosby by sending two first-round picks to the Raiders, officially bringing the pass rusher to the AFC North.
That was a gutpunch for New England fans, even if the chance of actually trading for Crosby felt like a pipedream. But what made it even worse was the follow-up intel from NFL insider Dianna Russini, which made the Patriots' failed trade attempt sting even more.
The Patriots' interest in Maxx Crosby was reportedly mutual, making his trade to the Ravens feel worse
In the minutes after the trade was announced, Russini said Crosby had been eyeing a few teams over the past few weeks as trade talks heated up.
One of those teams was the Patriots, and we already know how he felt about playing for Vrabel, and now seeing that won't be happening any time soon hurts just a little bit.
Crosby had his eye on the Cowboys, Ravens, and Patriots for weeks.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 7, 2026
Baltimore makes a gigantic splash! https://t.co/iEwKkyH5S8
This was the season to get Crosby on the team, but that has now passed.
Maybe the price was too high, and that's a fair assumption based on how Vrabel wants to build the team, but it also feels like a big miss. The hope is they'll have another plan up their sleeve, like maybe for Jonathan Greenard, or hit high in the first-round of the upcoming draft.
Otherwise, seeing Crosby play for the Ravens and likely thrive will only hurt more than it currently does.