Maxx Crosby says he was "livid" and "confused" after Baltimore Ravens nixed trade

Star pass rusher Maxx Crosby said he was "livid" after the Baltimore Ravens backed out of the trade that would have sent two first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders.

On his podcast, Crosby, one of the NFL's elite edge rushers, discussed the whirlwind of emotions of thinking he was headed to a new organization and then leaving still as a member of the Raiders.

"I'm like frozen," said Crosby when he learned the Ravens nixed the trade. "I'm livid, confused, the whole nine all in one."

The Raiders broke the nixed trade on social media on Tuesday, March 10, saying, "Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby. We will have no further comment at this time."

Ravens' General Manager Eric DeCosta addressed the situation the next day, saying that the team had concerns, and although it was a tough decision, it was the best decision for the team.

"Nobody is more upset about this than me," DeCosta said. "I'm gutted by it. It's a big regret from me, but we will move on as a football team, and I think there are many opportunities for us to grow as a team, to build a roster, and become the team we want to be."

Medical concerns with Maxx Crosby?

Crosby said that the Ravens flew him into Washington, D.C. on Monday, March 9, because of the lack of direct flights into Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. 

When he went to the team's facility the following day, he said he was given a physical, some x-rays and MRIs. Crosby said he didn't speak with DeCosta throughout the day, except for a few minutes before he left.

"I thought I was going to see [DeCosta] when I first got there. I don't know why. I'm not going to speculate." Crosby said. "He just made the trade, and I didn't see him for five hours."

When Crosby finally met DeCosta, he said he felt something was off.

"This is a whirlwind. In my head, I am so excited. This is a new opportunity. I dapped (DeCosta) up, and he had a blank face," Crosby said.

That's when Crosby was told there were concerns with his medical tests. He had undergone surgery to repair his meniscus in January, and his surgeon said he was on track to be ready by training camp.

"I go in the room, they sit me down on the couch," Crosby said. "He's like, 'I don't know how to say this, but one of our doctors has concerns with the results of your knee, and they are concerned with the future.'"

Crosby consulted with his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who told him not to pay attention to the Ravens' concerns.

"(Dr. Neal ElAttrache) said, 'Maxx don't listen to any of that ^#$%," Crosby said. "Your knee is great, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, even ahead of schedule."

Informing Maxx Crosby of the nixed deal

Back at his hotel, Crosby was told by his agents, CJ LaBoy and Doug Hendrickson, that they thought the Ravens were going to back out of the trade, despite a Ravens' staffer saying the team was working to complete the deal.

Crosby said moments later, his agent told him that Baltimore called off the trade. The next morning, on Wednesday, March 11, it was reported that the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $112 million contract with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.

Trying to quickly leave Baltimore, Crosby said the Ravens sent him off on a private jet back to Las Vegas.

"Everyone has their own conspiracy theory. No one will really admit on either side what the real truth is," Crosby said. 

Swapping Crosby for Hendrickson

DeCosta said he had conversations with Hendrickson and his agent as the team was negotiating the trade for Crosby. He said he had envisioned Hendrickson and Crosby lining up on opposite sides of the defensive line of scrimmage, making it a nightmare scenario for opposing offenses.

In their combined careers, they have 150.5 sacks. Last season, the Ravens were tied for 28th in the NFL with 30 sacks.

DeCosta said Hendrickson started becoming a real possibility after center Tyler Linderbaum was not going to re-sign with the Ravens. Instead, Linderbaum took a three-year, $81 million deal from the Raiders.

"In terms of Trey, we came to a point probably after we lost Tyler, where as we are trying to find the best way to get better as a football team, and Trey kind of made a lot of sense," DeCosta said. "We started some discussions with he and his agent, thinking potentially that we would have two pass rushers on both sides of the defensive line."