NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Maxx Crosby was set in stone to become the Baltimore Ravens’ next star, but it appears he’s back with the Las Vegas Raiders for an eighth season.
After the Ravens committed to sending two first-round picks for Crosby, the team backed out of the deal due to medical issues – Crosby recently underwent meniscus surgery and missed the final two games of the season.
In what Crosby called “one of the most unique, crazy, wild, up-and-down roller coasters I’ve ever been a part of,” it all started with a lot of emotion with his wife, his agent and other friends as he celebrated six months of sobriety just as the rumors began to intensify.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Maxx Crosby of the Raiders walks the sideline before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
But things got off to a weird start when, after the trade was completed, he flew to Washington, D.C., then drove two hours to Baltimore.
“It was weak,” Crosby said on his podcast “The Rush.”
Crosby then said he didn’t see general manager Eric DeCosta or head coach Jesse Minter for “five hours,” which struck him as odd. Then, once he met Minter, he knew something was up.
“I coated him, and you could tell there was no energy left…He had a blank face,” Crosby said. “I don’t think about it, maybe he’s different. I don’t know him.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby from the sideline during the Chicago Bears game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
JUDGE DISMISSES JETS LEGEND’S LAWSUIT AGAINST ESPN, NFL FILMS VIRAL SPAT WITH BRETT FAVRE
“I go in the room, they sit me down on the couch and say, ‘I don’t know how to say this. One of our doctors is worried about the results, about your knee. Some of them are worried about the future. We really want you. We’re just going to have to get more and more opinions.'”
That meeting with Minter left Crosby “freaked out,” and he received a call that the Ravens were withdrawing, which left him “fucking livid” and on a private jet to Las Vegas.
“It was crazy, bro. There was so much going on,” Crosby said.
However, that didn’t stop Crosby from waking up before 5 a.m. the next day to practice at the Raiders’ facility.
The Ravens quickly pivoted after the Crosby deal fell through, signing the former Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract with $60 million guaranteed.
“Everything happens for a reason. Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. I’m a Raider. I’m back. Run that shit,” Crosby posted to shortly after the exchange was canceled.
Last season, in 15 games, Crosby recorded 73 tackles, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles. His sack numbers are especially impressive because the team was losing so often that Crosby didn’t have the same number of opportunities to rush the quarterback compared to defenders on better teams.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby stands on the field after a loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on December 14, 2025. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)
Crosby made his fifth career Pro Bowl last season.
