In a move that shook the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens acquired star defensive end Maxx Crosby, and the news did not sit well with Ja’Marr Chase. On March 6, the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver was live on Twitch when he learned about the blockbuster trade that sent Crosby from Las Vegas to Baltimore. Chase’s reaction was immediate and filled with expletives.

“Joe just f—king texted me, Ravens traded for Maxx Crosby,” Ja’Marr Chase said during his Twitch stream. “No f—king sh-t, brother. I’m f—king highly pissed right now. Oh my god, how the f—k do we let this n-gga go to the f—king division bro?”

The Ravens reportedly sent their first-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 drafts to acquire Maxx Crosby. Once the new league year begins on March 11, the five-time Pro Bowler will officially join the Ravens, and that means he will face the Browns twice every season. But what made the situation so difficult to process for Ja’Marr Chase, a five-time Pro Bowler himself, was the fact that he previously wanted Crosby to join the Bengals. 

Just last month, both Chase and his teammate, Tee Higgins, revealed in an interview that they would love to see the Bengals bring in Maxx Crosby during the offseason.

“I wanna go with your boy from Vegas, though,” Chase said last month on the Up and Adams With Kay Adams Show. “Maxx Crosby, he’s a dog. I like Maxx Crosby.”

Chase’s comment wasn’t just casual praise for Crosby. It also reflected a bigger issue with the Bengals’ roster – one that Chase clearly believes the team needs to fix. Cincinnati’s pass rush struggled throughout the 2025 season, with the team ranking near the bottom of the league in sacks (36). The Bengals also ranked near the bottom in points allowed (28.9 points per game). 

All these defensive struggles contributed to Cincinnati’s 6-11 record, which was also the team’s first losing record since 2020. So, when Ja’Marr Chase talked about wanting Maxx Crosby in Cincinnati, he was really pointing to a bigger need: a game-changing defensive presence. In another interview last month, the 26-year-old also didn’t shy away from pushing his team’s front office to make a major defensive addition.

“Hopefully, the organization’s going to do it right now, hopefully,” Ja’Marr Chase said last month on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows what we need. And I’m not going to say what we need, but I talked to Zac [Taylor] about that. I’m definitely pushing, you know what I’m saying, to get something good for the defensive side. We just need something, of course, somebody.”

It was certainly possible that Chase was talking about Crosby as a valuable addition for the Bengals. But now, the reality has flipped, as instead of helping the Bengals improve their defense, Crosby is strengthening one of their biggest rivals. 

What does Maxx Crosby’s move to Baltimore mean for Ja’Marr Chase’s team?

The Ravens had never used a first-round pick in a deal to acquire a player before the Crosby trade. That alone shows how much the Ravens value the DE’s impact. During the 2025 season, Baltimore struggled to create consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks as they ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks (30). Quarterbacks from opposing teams also recorded 6.7 net yards per attempt against the Ravens, which ranked as the 10th-worst mark in the NFL. 

Meanwhile, even though the Raiders reached the playoffs only once during his seven seasons with the team, Maxx Crosby consistently proved himself as one of the league’s most disruptive defenders. During his time in Las Vegas, he recorded 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, and 439 total tackles. With that kind of production, it’s no surprise that other NFL teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys, also showed interest in acquiring Crosby.

Pairing Crosby’s relentless style with Baltimore’s already physical defense will give the Ravens a chance to rebound in 2026. After the trade, Crosby also made it clear that he’s ready for the challenge. 

In a message to fans on social media after his trade, Crosby said he plans to “give everything” from his heart and soul to help the Ravens secure a Super Bowl win.

Crosby’s mindset only raises expectations in an AFC North division that already features elite defensive talent. Think about it: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow already has to deal with star pass rushers like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt. Now Crosby joins that list. For Ja’Marr Chase’s team, which has not reached the playoffs in the last three seasons, that’s a concerning development.

Burrow played only eight games during the 2025 season, but even in that limited stretch, he was sacked 17 times.

Now that Maxx Crosby enters the AFC North, he will most likely line up across from Amarius Mims when the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens meet next season. Ultimately, the road to the AFC North title just became much more difficult, and if the Bengals want to return to playoff contention, their offensive line will need to rise to the challenge.