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Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby said Wednesday that he has moved on since his trade to Baltimore was cleared in March by the Ravens, and his focus is on getting ready for another season in Las Vegas.
“It’s water under the bridge,” Crosby said in his initial comments to Las Vegas reporters. “It’s been a long time. A lot of things I learned 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 predict. But I’ve been through a lot in my life. It’s not for me.
“I’m here and I want to be here and I’m excited to be here. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The Raiders had agreed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks on March 6, but Baltimore backed out four days later. The decision to exit the deal was made one 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 physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because these results are private.
“Everybody 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’s never going to change. (The trade is) part of the business. There’s a lot of other things that shouldn’t be discussed, but at the end of the day, I’m exactly where I want to be.”
Crosby had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He missed the final two games of the season due to the injury, though he wanted to play through it at the time.
Although still in recovery mode, Crosby has been with the team during stretches at organized team activities before leaving the field to work out at the Raiders’ facility.
Coach Klint Kubiak has said he expected Crosby to be ready for training camp in late July.
“This has been a long road to recovery,” Crosby said. “It’s probably the longest rehab I’ve been through, but in the end it’s been the best, and we’re not even there… I’m really close, but I’m at the point where I forget about it. I need to relax a little bit. It’s been the biggest fight right now because I’m almost back out there.”
Getting Crosby back came after Raiders general manager John Spytek committed nearly $300 million to eight free agents. That included a three-year, $81 million contract that includes $60 million guaranteed to Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, the richest ever for an interior offensive lineman.
Las Vegas still had room under the salary cap with Crosby back 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 made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history at the time.
Crosby, who turns 29 in August, had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season and has reached double-digit sacks four times in his seven seasons.
He is learning a new scheme under first-year defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, who is switching from a base 4-3 to a 3-4. But Crosby has worked closely with Leonard, who was the Raiders’ defensive line coach the previous three seasons.
“Probably the biggest reason I came here was an opportunity to coach him,” Leonard said. “It’s great to help him toward some of his goals as well as the defense and this organization. I just think how much he’s given and sacrificed for this place. To be able to do something that we’re all proud of would be really cool.”
Report from the Associated Press.
