Maxx Crosby looks on during a game as new details emerge about a failed trade that was reportedly doomed before he got on the plane
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A former Chiefs player claims Maxx Crosby trade talks were effectively over before he ever got on the plane.
The Maxx Crosby trade appeared to unravel well before it ever reached the finish line, according to a former Chiefs player turned SiriusXM NFL analyst. Geoff Schwartz on Tuesday said the Baltimore Ravens’ decision to pull out of the deal had likely already been made prior to Crosby’s arrival for his physical exam — potentially even before he traveled to Baltimore.
The claim by Schwartz aligns with emerging details of a chaotic sequence in which Baltimore ultimately backed away after a seemingly solid agreement between the Ravens and Las Vegas was reached, raising new questions about how early the outcome was effectively determined by Baltimore brass.
On his podcast The Rush With Maxx Crosby, the five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher said that he felt the “energy was off” when he showed up to meet with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, and that he had to wait five hours to meet with the Baltimore GM.
Crosby also said that when he finally met with DeCosta, “I dapped him up. He had like a blank face.”
Ex-Chiefs Player: Outcome of Failed Trade Was Predetermined
According to Schwartz — who played on the Chiefs’ offensive line in 2013, the fifth year of his seven-season NFL career — the Ravens wasted Crosby’s time by bringing him to Baltimore for the meeting, because they had already made up their minds to abandon the trade.
“Seems clear the Ravens had decided to back out of the deal before Crosby got to the facility and probably even before he got on the plane,” the NFL player-turned-analyst wrote on Wednesday.
“Crosby said he reported to the Ravens facility on March 10 and went through routine physical testing with the team, including MRIs, X-rays and other tests that Crosby was familiar with,” reported Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic on Tuesday. “Crosby, 28, had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, though the injury wasn’t expected to impact his availability for the 2026 season, and teams had consulted with his medical team prior to making trade offers.”
Crosby: ‘I Was Terrified… Freaking Out’
On the podcast, as quoted by Bardahl, Crosby said that the Ravens told him one of the doctors hired to examine him was concerned about the seven-year veteran’s knee, an injury that Crosby previously believed was healing at a normal pace.
“The first thought in my head, I was terrified,” Crosby said on the podcast, explaining that he feared having to undergo a second knee surgery. “It just kind of hit me, like, what the ****? Is there something wrong? I’m freaking out.”
But Crosby said he then called the surgeon who performed the procedure on his knee, who told him, according to Crosby, “Your knee is great. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be or even ahead of schedule. You’re doing everything right.”
DeCosta later said the Ravens “were really excited about essentially adding Maxx to our team.” He described it as “devastating” to cancel the trade, which would have sent two first-round draft picks to Las Vegas in exchange for Crosby.
Schwartz, however, added that the seemingly duplicitous behavior by the Ravens would not impact the team’s ability to make trades with other NFL organizations going forward.