The Las Vegas Raiders have their defensive star back, but no one really knows what's going to happen going forward.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby has mostly sat on the sidelines so far after the botched trade between the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, but that’s not really his way. Crosby let his agent, CB LaBoy, speak for him initially, but now he’s doing words on social media, according to an ESPN piece by Ryan McFadden.
"Everything Happens For A Reason," Crosby wrote in a post on X. "Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. Im A Raider. I'm Back. Run That [Expletive].”
No one really knows what to believe at this point, especially given that Crosby just posted an emotional farewell to Raiders fans while expressing excitement about joining the Ravens after the trade that sent a pair of first-round picks to Las Vegas.
The controversy, of course, is about Crosby failing his initial physical with the Ravens that would have made the trade official. Crosby tore the meniscus in his left knee during the season, but according to McFadden he played through it until the last two games, when the Raiders infuriated Crosby by shutting him down.
He had surgery, but according to other reports Crosby was still on crutches a week before the trade. Now he’s back in Las Vegas working out at the team facility, and the Ravens have moved on, signing free-agent pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal.
There’s been speculation that the Ravens experienced buyer’s remorse during the extended window they were given to verify Crosby’s medicals, despite the fact that Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said he was “gutted” when Crosby failed his physical.
McFadden cited an anonymous source who said the Raiders have received inquiries from several teams about Crosby’s availability and the possibility of reworking the trade. Crosby’s comments yesterday made it clear he still wants to play for the Raiders, but “clarity” in this situation is strictly relative and open to interpretation given the prior rancor between the Raiders and their defensive star.
The writer also said the Raiders are still expected to sign all of their free agents after Las Vegas made a series of seemingly non-stop moves on Monday, despite the fact that the $30 million cap space the team gained by trading Crosby is no longer available at the moment.
The defensive players who were signed included two holdovers, cornerback Eric Stokes and edge rusher Malcolm Koonce. Other defensive adds included linebacker Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker and edge rusher Kwity Paye, all of whom were free agents. Cornerback Taron Johnson was added via a trade with the Buffalo Bills.