Maxx Crosby has spoken out on his failed trade to the Baltimore Ravens for the very first time, admitting he was ‘livid and confused’ when he received the dreaded news.
The Pro Bowl pass rusher appeared set to swap Las Vegas for Baltimore last week after the Raiders agreed to send him to the Ravens in exchange for two first-round Draft picks.
Yet astonishingly, his blockbuster trade broke down at the 11th hour over a rumored ‘failed’ physical, forcing him to reluctantly hop on a plane back to Sin City.
Crosby, who jetted to Baltimore with wife Rachel, young daughter Ella Rose and agent CJ LaBoy before undergoing the unsuccessful physical, has broken his silence on the staggering collapse on his ‘The Rush’ podcast.
After he had completed the physical, the 28-year-old recalled meeting Ravens head coach Jesse Minter for the first time – before quickly realizing something wasn’t right.
‘I dap him up and I can just tell the energy was a little bit off,’ he said. ‘The GM [Eric DeCosta] was standing in the hall to the right, and that was the first time I’d seen him.
Maxx Crosby has spoken out on his failed trade to the Baltimore Ravens for the very first time
The Pro Bowl pass rusher admits he was ‘livid and confused’ after receiving the dreaded news
‘In my head, this is a whirlwind. Like, I’m so excited, fired up. And you could just tell the energy was off.
‘I dapped [Minter] up and he had a blank face. I’m like ok… I’m not thinking anything of it. Maybe he’s just different, I don’t know him. Whatever.
‘I go into the room, they sit me down on the couch and he’s like, “Man I don’t know how to say this, but one of our doctors has concerns with the results, like with your knee, some of them are really concerned about the future. We really want you but we’re gonna have to get more and more opinions.”‘
Crosby admitted the revelation left him ‘terrified’ two months after he underwent surgery on his left knee, before surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache reassured him that his repaired meniscus was healing exactly as it should be.
Somehow, he got his head down for a 20-minute nap as his proposed trade hung in the balance, before the Ravens officially pulled out.
Crosby said: ‘I call CJ back and he hits me, he’s like, “Yo, they’re backing out.” And it’s crazy cause one of the Ravens guys called me [just before] and he’s like, “Yo we’re trying to figure this out, we’re gonna get this done, don’t worry.”
‘Like five minutes later CJ calls me and he’s like, “They’re backing out.” I’m like, “Holy s***.”
‘So I’m like frozen. I’m livid, I’m confused. The whole nine all in one.’
Crosby had knee surgery over the winter and that is said to be why the Ravens pulled out
Crosby also claimed that he never met Ravens general manager DeCosta despite arriving at the team’s facility ahead of his expected trade.
‘I thought I was gonna see him when I first got there,’ he explained. ‘I didn’t see him for five hours. So, he didn’t come out. And I don’t know why. I’m not gonna speculate.
‘I didn’t see him one time. I even asked the girl, I was like, “Where’s Eric?” You know what I mean? He just made the trade.’
Nevertheless, Crosby suggested it is his destiny to be back in Las Vegas, despite his initial desire to leave the franchise after their miserable 2025 season.
‘Everyone’s got their own theory, conspiracy theory [about why the Ravens pulled out of the trade], no one really will ever admit on either side what the real truth is or whatever.
‘And ultimately, it doesn’t even matter. I am where I’m supposed to be. I know that.’
Crosby missed the end of the season and underwent successful surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee in early January 2026.
Eric DeCosta is the Baltimore general manager, who made the staggering decision last week
Las Vegas was due to receive two first-round picks for one of the NFL’s best defensive ends
The defensive end is coming off a turbulent season in Las Vegas. A year ago, he signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension to stay with the Raiders, making him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback at the time.
As well as his 10 sacks, he made 73 tackles and two forced fumbles despite being placed on injured reserve in December.
His knee injury became a league-wide news story at the time, when then-Raiders coach Pete Carroll spoke openly about Crosby potentially needing surgery.
Other reports contradicted Carroll’s claim, and Crosby added fuel to the fire by posting footage of himself playing basketball on his home court when he was supposedly injured.
