On Tuesday, Maxx Crosby used his hour-long episode of The Rush With Maxx Crosby to deliver a nuanced explanation of what happened between him and the Baltimore Ravens.
To make a long saga somewhat short, Crosby visited the Ravens’ facility last week to undergo a physical and finalize a blockbuster trade that would send him from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Ravens in exchange for two first-round draft picks.
Instead, Crosby described Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta avoiding him all day before telling him the trade fell through because the Ravens had concerns about the long-term health of Crosby’s knee.
Crosby, 28, expressed several emotions and thoughts toward the Ravens and the Raiders while speaking for nearly an hour on his podcast, but he had a very succinct message to Baltimore when Cameron Heyward reached out to him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle said he reached out to Crosby after Connor Heyward, Cam’s younger brother, signed with the Raiders as a free agent last week.
“I actually reached out to Maxx Crosby, and I was like, ‘Bro, I don’t know if you’re staying with the Raiders, but if you are, take care of my brother. Look out for him,'” Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. “You know what Maxx’s response was?”
Heyward continued, “I said, ‘I’m sorry to hear about the Ravens thing falling through.’ He was like, ‘[Expletive] those dudes. I’m staying with the Raiders.’ I was like, alright, I can respect that.”
On March 10, the Raiders announced that the Ravens had “backed out” of their agreed-upon trade to send Crosby to Baltimore. Around the same time, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported what Crosby has since confirmed: “After Maxx Crosby underwent testing today at the Ravens' facility, Baltimore made the decision as an organization that it could not move forward with the deal based on the results of the medical.”
Two days later, Crosby posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Everything Happens For A Reason. Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. I’m a Raider. I’m Back. Run That [Expletive].”
Technically, the Raiders could still decide to trade Crosby before next season. But Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer reported on Monday, “I'd believe Maxx Crosby and the Raiders when they tell you they're moving forward together.”
Breer continued, “Here's why: Las Vegas was never going to give Crosby away. And when teams tried to look for such a deal in calling the Raiders after last Tuesday's physical fiasco, they heard as much. Could someone come along and offer the ransom number for Crosby? Sure, but I don't see that being likely.”
The Raiders selected Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Since then, he has been one of the league’s top pass rushers, with 69.5 sacks, 439 tackles (278 solo), 164 quarterback hits, and 133 tackles for loss in 110 career regular-season games.
Last season, Crosby collected 10 sacks in 15 games before the Raiders shut him down with two games to go. Crosby underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in early January.
Upon news that Crosby’s trade had fallen through, CJ LaBoy, Crosby’s agent, posted: “Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery, and if anything is ahead of schedule, according to his surgeon Dr Neal El Attrache. Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons.”
It looks like Mad Maxx’s revenge tour will be silver-and-black-themed rather than black-and-purple.
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