Since becoming the general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars, general manager James Gladstone has shown that he's not afraid to make a bold move if he thinks it will improve the larger scale roster. For that reason, the latest news doesn't come as a surprise.
The pass rush is among the Jags' biggest needs. Free agency and the draft will have no shortage of options, but Gladstone took another path... and missed.
The Jaguars made a push for Maxx Crosby before the Ravens traded for him
A couple days before free agency began, the Baltimore Ravens sent shockwaves across the league when they traded for Maxx Crosby, acquiring the five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher from the Las Vegas Raiders in return for a pair of first-round draft picks.
The trade was the culmination of an offseason filled with rumors about Las Vegas moving from Crosby. A fourth-round pick in 2019, the former East Michigan Eagle wasn't thrilled that the Raiders placed him on Injured Reserve late in 2025 despite the fact that he wanted to play. Now, he gets a fresh start in Baltimore.
Although it was a bit pricey, having a player of Crosby's caliber will turbocharge a Ravens defense that struggled to routinely get after the quarterback last year. In seven NFL seasons, he's registered 69.5 sacks. It's also worth noting that Baltimore moved on from John Harbaugh and hired the defensive-minded Jessee Minter to replace him.
Having Crosby in the mix will allow Minter to install his scheme. Now, the Jaguars will have to worry about containing Crosby when they face Baltimore next season.
The Jaguars were reportedly in the thick of the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes
Not long after the Maxx Crosby news drop, insider James Palmer reported that the Jaguars were also in the mix for the veteran pass rusher. However, their lack of a first-round pick in 2026 hindered their ability to land the veteran pass rusher.
As noted before, Baltimore exchanged two first-round picks in return for Crosby. The Raiders didn't want anything less for him. That made it difficult for the Jags to make a competitive offer because they gave up their 2026 first-round pick as part of the package to trade for two-way star Travis Hunter last year. Maybe Jacksonville could've and might've offered Brian Thomas Jr., but that wasn't enough to get a deal done. Having said that, coming up short might've been a blessing in disguise.
As dominant as Crosby is, the Jaguars would've been left without two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, imagining they made that offer, if they had managed to successfully pull it off. On top of that, they would've needed to pay him an average of $29 million each year through 2028.
There's no doubt that Crosby would've been worth it. On the other hand, it would have severely limited the team's ability to address other positions this year, so you could say that getting outbid by the Ravens was a blessing in disguise.
With Maxx Crosby joining the Ravens, the Jaguars will next need to turn to either free agency or the draft to bolster their pass rush.