A blockbuster deal sent shockwaves throughout the NFL on Friday. (And no, it wasn’t A.J. Brown heading to the New England Patriots.)

When the Las Vegas Raiders sent six-time Pro Bowl edge defender Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round NFL draft picks in both 2026 and 2027, the league generally viewed the move as a win for both sides.

Crosby will be 29 when the season begins, and his timeline for competing for a championship no longer aligns with the Raiders’ rebuild. Instead, he goes to a Baltimore squad that is expected to heavily compete for a Super Bowl next year.

Believe it or not, the trade that sent Crosby to Charm City also impacts the New York Jets, both positively and negatively, going forward.

Good: Jets got more for Sauce Gardner

The deal that shipped Crosby to Baltimore should be seen as an example of excellent asset management by the Raiders. Crosby has 44.5 sacks combined in his last four years, and he’s been on the cusp of a First-Team All-Pro nod multiple times.

To receive two first-round picks for him shows the Raiders understood his value.

The Jets were in a similar boat just a few months ago.

New York traded All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Indianapolis Colts. The move was seen as the start of a teardown for Gang Green

Jets general manager Darren Mougey, like the Raiders’ John Spytek, understood the market for their star players and also understood that their road to contention may be beyond what their stars could give them. In their minds, it was better to cut ties completely than risk prolonging the conversation.

Still, the two deals show that the Jets received more for a younger Gardner than the Raiders got for Crosby.

There are obvious reasons for that, of course. Gardner has been an All-Pro multiple years, while Crosby has only been on the cusp. The cornerback position is also considered a highly valuable role.

Crosby, though, is a top-five defensive player in the sport. Gardner, after some struggles, is hovering around the top 15 to 20 range.

The fact that the Jets got more for a player who may not be pound-for-pound as good as Crosby is a major win for Mougey and the organization in terms of asset management.

Bad: Jumping the Jets in the draft

For all the good this Crosby deal brings to the Jets, there is a very obvious negative as well.

By acquiring the Ravens’ 14th overall selection, the Raiders now jump the Jets with their own second first-round pick this year. New York acquired the 16th overall selection from Indy in the deal for Gardner.

This is significant because the Raiders, like the Jets, will need quality young receivers to build their offense around the expected first overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.

It isn’t a good sign that the Raiders can simply jump the Jets for the best available wideout without having to lift a finger. Now, if the Jets want a wideout in the 2026 draft, their best bet will be having to give up a few assets to jump the Raiders again.

Las Vegas already beat out New York by winning the first overall pick sweepstakes by being just a little bit worse last season. The fact that they simply jumped the Jets again isn’t the best sign for Gang Green so early in their rebuild.

Is it the end of the world? No. Can the Jets still build a winner with the sheer amount of assets they have at their disposal? Of course.

But it gets just a little more complicated now that the Raiders are close to where they are in terms of assets.