Maxx Crosby was going to be a Ravens player, until he wasn’t. When the trade news broke on March 6, Crosby’s phone lit up with calls and messages. One of those calls came from UFC CEO Dana White.

“The first person to call me, Dana White,” Crosby revealed on The Rush. “Dana calls me. ‘Yo, what the f–k.’ I’m like, Holy shit. Bro, I’m literally about to leave my house right now. I’m about to pull out the Power Slap. I can’t come to that now.”

Crosby has been with the Raiders for every season of his pro career. Since being drafted in 2019, he has built his entire professional identity around the silver and black. The city itself became the foundation of his friendship with White. 

But this March, all of that changed when the Raiders agreed to trade Crosby to the Ravens in exchange for two first-round picks. And Crosby knew a reaction was coming.

“This is about to be a riot. It’s about to be crazy in there,” Crosby told White. “And he’s [Dana White] like, ‘No. Stay home. Do your thing.'”

That Friday night, Crosby had already left his house and was on his way to attend White’s Power Slap event when the news dropped. White called Crosby immediately, after which the DE turned around, went home, and stayed off the grid. Now, thanks to Crosby, the world knows exactly where that decision came from.

At first, it was a lot to process. But Crosby got his head right and committed to the move fully. He posted about his excitement at joining the Ravens and making a run at a Super Bowl in Baltimore. Then March 10 arrived. The Raiders released a blunt public statement declaring that the Ravens had backed out of the trade agreement, with no comments to add.

That statement put Crosby back in a Raiders uniform. By all accounts, the two sides have since resolved their issues, and Crosby has made his peace with the organization. The five-time Pro Bowler is moving on from what happened. 

“No one will ever admit what the real truth is. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I am where I’m supposed to be,” Crosby said on The Rush. “I’m here. I’m meant to be a Raider. In this for life, until that changes, which I don’t foresee, but you never know.”

The reason the Ravens gave for pulling out is that Crosby failed to clear his physical examination. The defensive end is currently rehabbing a left knee injury he sustained against the Chiefs in Week 7 last season. Crosby played through the rest of that season on a torn meniscus.

However, Crosby’s agent, CJ Laboy, came out publicly with a clear statement saying his client is ahead of schedule on his recovery timeline. Whether the injury was genuinely disqualifying or simply a convenient exit from a deal is something that Baltimore is yet to address. But the timing of what happened next made it very difficult for the Ravens to avoid scrutiny.

The Ravens said no to Maxx Crosby and yes to Trey Hendrickson

Not even 24 hours had passed after the Ravens backed out of the Crosby trade when Baltimore moved swiftly to sign Trey Hendrickson. The former Bengals’ DE signed a four-year, $112 million contract with $60 million fully guaranteed with the Ravens.

The move drew immediate backlash, and the Ravens have faced significant criticism for the way the situation was handled. But from Baltimore’s perspective, the front office did what it felt was best for the team. They needed a pass rusher, and they landed one of the best in the league without surrendering a single draft pick in the process.

With Hendrickson now in the fold, the Ravens add a pass rusher with nine years of professional experience. In the 2024 season, Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks and generated 54 quarterback pressures, establishing himself as one of the most dominant edge rushers in the game.

The only question is whether he can stay on the field. Last season began with Hendrickson holding out through the entire preseason in a contract dispute before eventually agreeing to a reworked one-year deal. 

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Hendrickson suited up and played but went down with a core muscle injury in Week 6 against the Packers. He attempted a comeback in Week 8 but could not hold up and was eventually placed on injured reserve. When the season ended, his stat line read four sacks, 16 tackles, and 12 pressures across just seven games played.