“A new era of Raiders football.” That’s what general manager John Spytek envisioned when the Las Vegas Raiders signed Maxx Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension in March 2025. That new era of Raiders football, however, has yet to begin, as they finished the 2025 season with a 3-14 record. Naturally, that led Crosby to express his frustration, as he eventually wanted a way out of the Raiders.

Ultimately, the Raiders traded the veteran edge rusher to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason. However, Crosby’s time as a Raven lasted only 48 hours, as the Ravens ultimately nixed the trade agreement with the Raiders. While there have been various rumors about why Baltimore backed out of the trade, Crosby believes people have no idea what actually happened behind the scenes.

“It’s all part of the journey,” said Crosby on his recent appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys Podcast. “Ultimately, I was there for maybe 48 hours. Shit went left, and then I came right back here. So, there’s a lot to the story. There’s a lot of things that people don’t know. People still don’t know what really went down overall, but I’m meant to be here. I’m meant to be a Raider. There’s a new f*****g rumor every day. That’s just what you got to deal with, and that’s part of it, but I don’t really give a s**t.”

Per reports, the Ravens nixed the trade because of Maxx Crosby’s medical concerns after the edge rusher went through a physical and MRI. For broader context, after signing his three-year deal, Crosby surely finished the season with a team-high 10 sacks. But the 28-year-old suffered a knee injury during a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

While he still played through the injury for multiple weeks, the Raiders eventually benched him and placed him on the injured reserve ahead of the Week 17 matchup. Crosby, however, was frustrated with the team’s decision and reportedly left the team facility in late December. Subsequently, he underwent meniscus repair surgery in early January and rehabbed for months before the trade. However, that wasn’t enough for the Ravens to prove that he was healthy.

Since then, there has been continuous debate about what led the Ravens to back out of the trade when they clearly needed an edge rusher. According to ESPN, Crosby was just a month removed from knee surgery but was already able to walk without crutches.

Per reports, while Crosby was expected to play during the 2026 season, Baltimore was concerned about his long-term durability over the next couple of seasons because of a degenerative issue in his knee, per ESPN.

“No one will ever admit what the real truth is,” Crosby had said after the trade failed.

Before trading for Crosby in exchange for a pair of first-round picks, the Ravens had never used a first-round pick to acquire a veteran player in franchise history. So, it’s worth noting that Baltimore was interested in bringing Crosby to Charm City.

At the same time, they also needed to bolster their defense, as the Ravens struggled to pressure the quarterbacks in the 2025 season. The team ranked 28th in pass rush win rate (29.9%) and 30th in sacks (30).

Ultimately, after backing out of the Maxx Crosby trade, the Ravens brought Trey Hendrickson on a multi-year deal. As for Crosby, he’s currently a Raider and is set to start his eighth season in Vegas. Whether a trade would materialize before the deadline remains to be seen.