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Maxx Crosby was slated to be the next Baltimore Ravens star, but instead it looks like he’ll be back with the Las Vegas Raiders for an eighth season.
After the Ravens committed to sending two first-round picks to Crosby, the team pulled out of the deal due to concerns with his doctors — Crosby recently had 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 started with plenty of emotion from his wife, agent and other friends as he celebrated six months of sobriety, just as rumors began to heat up.
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Maxx Crosby of the Raiders walks the sideline before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025 in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
But things got off to a strange start when, after the deal was made, he flew to Washington, DC, then drove two hours to Baltimore.
“That s— was weak,” Crosby said on his podcast, “The Rush.”
Crosby then said he didn’t see either general manager Eric DeCosta or head coach Jesse Minter for “five hours,” which struck him as odd. Then, when he got to meet Minter, he knew something was up.
“I tap him up and you can just tell the energy was off. … He had a blank face,” Crosby said. “I don’t think anything of it, maybe he’s different. I don’t know him.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on the sideline during the Chicago Bears game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
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“I walk into the room, they sit me down on the couch and say, ‘I don’t know how to say this. One of our doctors is concerned about the results, with your knee. Some of them are concerned 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 “freaking out” and he got a call saying the Ravens backed out, leaving him “f—blind” and on a private jet back 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 1am. 5 a.m. the next day to catch a workout at the Raiders facility.
The Ravens pivoted quickly after the Crosby deal fell through, signing earlier 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. Drive that s—,” Crosby wrote to X shortly after the trade was cancelled.
Last season, in 15 games, Crosby recorded 73 tackles, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles. His sack numbers are particularly impressive because the team lost so often that Crosby didn’t get 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 Dec. 14, 2025. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)
Crosby made his fifth career Pro Bowl last season.
