What a week it’s been in the NFL.
So far, we’ve seen the Dolphins swap Tua Tagovailoa for Malik Willis at quarterback, Mike Evans agree to sign with the 49ers after 12 triumphant seasons in Tampa Bay, Travis Kelce re-sign with the Chiefs, Daniel Jones sign a massive two-year deal with the Colts...
... Oh yeah, and Maxx Crosby was traded to the Ravens, only for Baltimore to back out after failing the 28-year-old star on his physical.
MORE:LIVE NFL Free Agency Updates: News, Rumors, Reports, and Analysis
Crosby has since returned to Las Vegas to continue his rehab, and on Wednesday night seemingly announced that he’ll remain with the Raiders—despite the team now saddled with big-money free-agent contracts they agreed to earlier in the week, and without the Ravens' next two first-round picks.
While the teamcouldstill wind up trading the pass rusher, it sounds like—at least for now—Crosby's remaining with the club that took a chance on him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Here’s a look at how we got here.
Maxx Crosby timeline: How Raiders star ended up back in Las Vegas
Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby is apparently staying with the Raiders. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct. 5: Raiders begin 2025 season 1–4
After an upset win over the eventual AFC champion Patriots in Week 1 of the 2025 season, the Raiders proceeded to lose their next four games of the campaign—including a 40–6 defeat at the hands of the Colts to close out the first week in October.
This put Las Vegas in last place in the AFC West just five weeks into the campaign.
Oct. 19: Crosby injures knee in 31–0 blowout loss to Chiefs
The Raiders then took to the road in Week 7 for a bout against the division rival Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and were not only blown out 31–0, but also saw Crosby go down with a knee injury that would prove more significant than anyone initially thought.
Despite the ailment, Crosby continued to suit up for Las Vegas... at least for the time being.
Oct. 21: Raiders tell Crosby they aren’t trading him amid interest at trade deadline
Crosby’s name was floated as a potential target for contenders to acquire at the NFL trade deadline. That said, the Raiders informed the pass rusher that they were not moving him, and Crosby himself stated he wanted to remain with the club amid a 2–5 start to the season.
Nov. 4: Trade deadline passes, Crosby remains in Las Vegas
The Raiders kept to their word and did not deal their star at the trade deadline.
Dec. 26: Raiders shut down Crosby for season, causing him to storm out of the team facility
Las Vegas continued to struggle throughout the 2025 season, and heading into its Week 17 game against the Giants—and wearing a dismal 2–13 record—decided to shut down Crosby for the remainder of the season.
“We have made the decision to place Maxx Crosby on the Reserve/Injured list for the remainder of the 2025 season,” the Raiders announced. “After deliberate and thorough consultation with multiple top medical professionals, it became clear that this decision is in the best interest of both the franchise and the player. Maxx is the ultimate warrior, and he has fought extremely hard to compete each week with his teammates since injuring his knee mid-season.”
According to multiple reports, Crosby did not take the decision lightly and stormed out of the team facility upon hearing the news. He would later take to the Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray to explain why he had an issue with the de facto benching.
“When it comes to football, there’s certain things that I truly believe in,” he explained. “And I feel like there’s core principles that you gotta live by, and there’s a certain way the game needs to be played. And there’s a certain approach that you have when you go into the field. And the way you look at it, from my perspective, is you play to win. You play for your teammates, you put everything you have into the game, no matter what it is. There’s gonna be bumps and bruises. You’re gonna be banged up. That is a part of the game and the nature of the beast.”
Jan. 7: Crosby undergoes surgery to repair torn meniscus, “quietly” asks for trade out of Las Vegas
Crosby would undergo surgery on his injured knee in early January, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, what was initially set to just be a trim turned out to be a “minor meniscus repair.” Said procedure typically carries a 3-4 month recovery window.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has since added that following surgery, Crosby, “quietly, but decisively” asked for a trade out of Las Vegas.
Feb. 24: GM John Spytek says he expects Crosby will remain with Raiders
While speaking at the NFL scouting combine in late February, Raiders general manager John Spytek told reporters that he was confident Crosby would remain with the club in 2026.
“Maxx is an elite player,” said Spytek. “And I’ve been very upfront from the start, when I got here, that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them. It’s hard to build a team without elite players.”
March 4: Reports indicate why Crosby is upset with franchise
Ahead of what would ultimately be a bidding war for Crosby’s services prior to the start of the new league year, a story fromThe Athletic’sMike Silver explained that among the many reasons why the pass rusher felt he’d “exhausted all efforts” with the franchise was his shut down at the end of the 2025 season, the constant changes at head coach, and the presence of team wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero.
“Guerrero, who regularly attends practices and meetings, purports to possess significant organizational power,” Silver wrote. “Informing players of impending transactions and even indicating to staff members who don’t follow his instructions that their jobs may be at risk. [He] is perceived to have a direct pipeline to Brady, who lives in Florida and serves as Fox’s lead NFL analyst, limiting his in-person presence. Suffice it to say that there are trust issues permeating the Raiders’ training facility in Henderson, Nev.”
Alex Guerrero
Raiders wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero was one of the many reasons why Maxx Crosby wanted to be traded out of Las Vegas. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
March 6: Raiders agree to trade Crosby to Ravens for two first-round picks
On the Friday night prior to the start of the 2026 new league year, the Raiders and Ravens agreed on a trade that would send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for first-round picks in 2026 and ‘27—including the No. 14 selection in this April’s draft.
March 7: Crosby bids farewell to Raiders in social media post
In his first public comments since the trade had been agreed upon, Crosby took to social media and—in a now-deleted social media post—bid farewell to the Raiders and their fan base.
“Can’t believe that this is a real thing. It’s been seven years being with the nation. Raider Nation has given me everything,” he shared. “... One thing I can say above all else is I gave y’all everything I got and I have no regrets about that. I put everything into trying to win as a Raider.”
March 10: Ravens back out of trade for Crosby
In a stunning turn of events, the Raiders announced on Tuesday evening that the Ravens had backed out of their trade agreement for Crosby. Reports have since indicated that Crosby did not pass his physical.
Crosby has since returned to Las Vegas to continue his rehab, and according to Breer, the “general feeling” is that he will remain with the team as both sides look to move forward.
March 11: Baltimore shores up defense with signing of Trey Hendrickson
After backing out of the Crosby deal, the Ravens reportedly agreed to terms with another star pass rusher—former Bengal Trey Hendrickson—on a four-year deal worth up to $120 million.
March 11: Crosby says on social media that he’s staying with Raiders
In a late-night post to social media on Wednesday, Crosby seemed to indicate that he is—in fact—remaining with the Raiders.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Believe nothing you hear & half of what you see. I’m a Raider. I’m back. Run that s---.”
Everything Happens For A Reason. Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. Im A Raider. I’m Back. Run That Sh*t. ð¦ ð´☠️ pic.twitter.com/8IZXiDYMio
— Maxx Crosby (@CrosbyMaxx) March 12, 2026
What a journey...
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