Cowboys' Maxx Crosby dream dies as Ravens pay king's ransom for Raiders star

The Maxx Crosby sweepstakes have a winner, and it's not the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported late Friday that the Las Vegas Raiders traded Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick.

The Cowboys put forth a competitive effort to land Crosby, but you can't fault them for not wanting to pay two first-round picks. Their defense simply has too many holes, and Crosby, as good as he is, arguably is not worth that much.

The Dallas Cowboys lose out on Maxx Crosby as the Ravens trade for ex-Raiders star

This isn't said often, but Jerry Jones and Dallas deserve credit for being involved, setting their limit, and sticking to it. Crosby would have been a fantastic addition, but surrendering two firsts -- while absorbing Crosby's contract -- would have hindered their ability to fix the defense.

The bigger takeaway is that the Cowboys are taking this offseason seriously. Typically, they'd be mentioned as a team that poked around Crosby, but never emerged as a serious player.

According to Schefter, Dallas was in it until the end, willing to offer as much as a first- and second-round pick for the five-time Pro Bowler.

You can argue that would've been too much for Crosby, but it sets the stage for Jones' most aggressive free agency period in years. The 83-year-old won’t be happy about missing out on Crosby, and it’s more clear than ever that the team views edge rusher as a serious need.

The Cowboys may now turn their attention to Trey Hendrickson. Reports have suggested they'll make a run at the Bengals' stud pass rusher if they lost out on Crosby. The other free agent edges include Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, and Boye Mafe.

Based on how heavily they pursued Crosby, it would not be surprising if they come away with one of those players.