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Raiders star passer Maxx Crosby said Wednesday that he has moved on since his trade to Baltimore was canceled in March by the Ravens, and is focused on preparing for another season in Las Vegas.
“It’s water under the bridge,” Crosby said in his first comments to reporters in Las Vegas. “It was a long time ago. I learned a lot about what’s going on and what this league can bring. A lot of adversity, a lot of different things that you can’t really anticipate. But I’ve been through a lot in my life. It’s nothing to me.
“I’m here and I want to be here and I’m excited to be here. I have a lot of work to do.”
The Raiders had agreed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks on March 6, but Baltimore withdrew four days later. This decision to end the deal was made a day before the new NFL year, when deals can be finalized.
A person with knowledge of Baltimore’s decision told The Associated Press at the time that Crosby failed his medical exam. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the results are private.
“Everyone knows my love and appreciation for this organization,” said Crosby, who was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. “That will never change. (Trading is) part of the business. There are a lot of other things that don’t need to be discussed, but at the end of the day, I’m exactly where I want to be.”
Crosby underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He missed the last two games of the season due to his injury, although he wanted to play at the time.
Although still in recovery mode, Crosby accompanied the team through stretching exercises during organized team activities before leaving the field to practice at the Raiders’ facilities.
Coach Klint Kubiak said he expects Crosby to be ready for training camp in late July.
“It’s been a long road to recovery,” Crosby said. “It’s probably the longest rehab I’ve been through, but in the end it was by far the best and we haven’t even reached the finish line yet. … I’m very close, but I’m at that point where I forget. I need to relax a little bit. It’s kind of the biggest battle right now because I’m almost back on the field.”
Crosby’s return came after Raiders general manager John Spytek committed nearly $300 million to eight free agents. That included a three-year, $81 million contract, including $60 million guaranteed for Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, the richest ever for an interior offensive lineman.
Las Vegas still had room under the salary cap with Crosby’s return because the Raiders entered free agency with nearly $112 million in salary cap space, according to overthecap.com.
The Raiders signed Crosby to a three-year extension in March 2025 worth $106.5 million, with $91.5 million guaranteed, to keep him in Las Vegas through the 2029 season. That deal at the time made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
Crosby, who turns 29 in August, had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season, and had four double-digit sacks in his seven seasons.
He’s learning a new scheme under first-year defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, moving from a base 4-3 alignment to a 3-4. But Crosby worked closely with Leonard, who was the Raiders’ defensive line coach for the previous three seasons.
“Probably the main reason I came here was the opportunity to coach,” Leonard said. “It’s great to help him achieve some of his goals and improve the defense and the organization. I just think about everything he’s given and sacrificed for this spot. Helping create something that we’re all proud of would be really cool.”
Associated Press reporting.
