The Storm Before the Storm

There’s free agency. There’s tampering. And then there’s pre-tampering, the flurry of cap-cleansing and table-setting transactions which, in keeping with the way the winter of 2026 has gone, turned into a minor blizzard last week.

This is the story of Winter Storm Pre-Tampering 2026.

Maxx Crosby to the Ravens

The Maxx Crosby trade would have made more sense for the Ravens if it happened at last year’s trade deadline, or if they weren’t about to lose Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely and other starters in free agency.

Crosby is the player who could have gotten the 2024 Ravens to the Super Bowl or the 2025 Ravens into the playoffs, where anything might have happened. As it now stands, it looks like he will be tasked with keeping the Ravens from falling out of the playoff picture. A worthy goal, perhaps. But at what cost?

Crosby’s pressure totals dipped from 100 in 2023 to 68 (in 12 games) in 2024 to 58 (in 15 games) in 2025. His pressure rates dipped from 17.1% to 17.0% to 12.9%. (Source: Sports Info Solutions.)

I don’t think Crosby is in steep decline or anything, but it’s worth wondering about a 29-year-old (in August) defender who has played many years of losing football and dabbles as both a front-facing and behind-the-scenes power broker. Ndamukong Suh brought a similar mogul-with-a-helmet energy to his post-Lions career; either the money or ring had to be dangling right in front of him to get him at his best. Crosby will be breathing fire and farting thunder if the Ravens are 8-5 entering December. If they are not, we’ll find out (through surrogates and passive-aggressive messaging) what he thinks of Jesse Minter, his compensation level, and perhaps Lamar Jackson.

It’s all a matter of risks, rewards and timing. Crosby arrives just as the Ravens appear to be getting weaker, not stronger. His salary and the two first-round picks he cost could hasten the Ravens’ decline, particularly on offense, by lowering the team’s chances of retaining Likely/Linderbaum/Others to zero. This feels like the wrong splash at the wrong time, perhaps for the wrong type of guy.

Meanwhile in Las Vegas, Klint Kubiak and the Brady Minions must be thrilled to no longer have to treat Crosby like the Countess Dowager. The Raiders were going to be a glorified mock draft simulator for at least a year with or without Maxx Crosby. They might as well have two more draft picks and one less resident malcontent who happens to have more street cred than anyone in the organization except the minority owner.

If Too Deep Zone assigned grades, the Raiders might get an A for this trade, the Ravens a C. But giving the Raiders an A for shedding talent is like giving the kid who smokes banana peels on the way to school an A for not passing out and drooling all over his midterm. Getting rid of talent is the easiest thing a team can do. The Jets do it all the time. Acquiring, developing and retaining talent is the hard part.

The Ravens could announce a flurry of re-signings or other moves just after this feature gets posted, increasing their chances of staying in Super Bowl contention in 2026 and 2027. Indeed, they re-signed backup quarterback Snoop Huntley on Saturday. Unfortunately, the quick announcement of the Huntley deal probably means that the Ravens aren’t sitting on news of Linderbaum or Likely deals.

In fact, the Raiders are more likely to announce a Linderbaum signing in the next 72 hours than the Ravens are. That probability should be factored into any grading scale.

Trent McDuffie to the Rams

The Trent McDuffie trade was an outstanding move for the Rams and a necessary move for the Chiefs.

McDuffie is a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback who turns 26 in September. The Rams are Super Bowl shortlisters whose only weakness was their secondary. The Rams held an extra first-round pick in the 2026 draft because the Falcons are stupid. The Chiefs are a late-era dynasty trying to stave off decline; they needed draft capital and cap relief.

McDuffie received a market-setting contract on Sunday. The Rams still have money to spent, as well as the 13th overall pick. The Chiefs got the 29th pick and some smaller rebuilding blocks. It all makes perfect sense. Any further comment would not be elaboration or analysis, just padding.

If Too Deep Zone graded offseason moves, the Rams would get an A for the McDuffie trade. The Chiefs would get a “Welp, this is what happens when you win a bunch of Super Bowls and your roster gets old and top heavy.” That sounds like a C-plus, maybe? There’s a reason I don’t assign grades.

The McDuffie trade is what happens when smart NFL organizations do business. Such all-logic, no-losers trades are rare, however, because so are smart NFL organizations. The NFL is like the proverbial little town that could not stage a nativity play because it could not find three wise men. I won’t comment on the supply of virgins.