Maxx Crosby didn’t have the kind of offseason he was certainly expecting amid his injury recovery. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens after another disappointing season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and at one point, he was expected to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a different uniform for the first time since his NFL debut.

But after the Ravens backed out of the trade, Crosby will now face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 4. And ahead of the matchup, Mahomes addressed the failed Crosby trade while also acknowledging the competition against the edge rusher.

“I mean, he was going to be in the Ravens either way, so I’m sure we were to saw him at some point,” said Mahomes. “No, it was a weird offseason. It was surprising to me, just knowing who he is and the way he competes at anyone, they trade for him, and they end up not taking him and wanting to send him back because of the player that he is.

“But I know he’ll use that as motivation. And then him, I mean, he’s coming off injury as well, and I know he’ll use that as motivation as well. And so it’s always great to have the great players in the league and get up to go up against them and compete. And so I’m excited for it.”

In March, the Raiders and Ravens agreed to a trade that would have sent Crosby to Baltimore for a pair of first-round picks, including the No. 14 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Because the deal was agreed to before the new league year, it remained contingent on Crosby passing his physical.

Crosby traveled to Baltimore and underwent the team’s medical examination. The Ravens subsequently raised concerns about his left knee, which had undergone surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus, and ultimately backed out on March 10.

However, Crosby later acknowledged that the atmosphere felt strange when he visited the Ravens.

“I didn’t get to see the GM at all,” said Crosby. “I thought I was gonna see him when I first got there. I didn’t see him for five hours. I don’t know why. I am not gonna speculate. I even asked, ‘Where’s Eric (DeCosta)?’ You know what I mean? He just made the trade. I didn’t see him for five hours.”

According to Crosby, DeCosta told him that one of the Ravens’ doctors had concerns about the results of his testing and wanted to get additional medical opinions. At the same time, however, Crosby’s own surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, reassured him about his surgery.

Crosby said ElAttrache explained that the MRI could look different because the knee was still relatively fresh from surgery and reassured him that his recovery was on schedule. However, after the Ravens nixed the trade, Maxx Crosby returned to Vegas.

Mahomes’ comments surfaced just days before the team’s Week 4 matchup against the division rivals. Following a disappointing finish in 2025, Mahomes and Kansas City started the season 3-0, and they will now travel to Vegas. Ahead of the game, Crosby sent a clear warning to Mahomes.

“He [Mahomes] knows what it is,” said Crosby. “It’s war. There’s no other words needed. You know what I mean? That’s as simple as that. So, yeah I can’t wait. There’s a lot of work to be done till we get there, but, yeah, it’s war.”

Maxx Crosby hasn’t dominated Patrick Mahomes, but he has consistently made the Chiefs quarterback work. In 13 career meetings since Crosby entered the NFL in 2019, the Raiders pass rusher has recorded six sacks and 14 tackles for Loss against the quarterback.

The problem for Las Vegas is that those individual numbers haven’t translated into many wins, with the Raiders going just 2-11 in those games. But with Kirk Cousins running the offense and Klint Kubiak leading the team, it remains to be seen whether the Raiders can manage to defeat the Chiefs.