Maxx Crosby Declares 'I'm A Raider' As Trade Saga May Be Ending With A Happily Ever After

After all that, maybe Maxx Crosby is apparently at peace with playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The star edge rusher who, let's see if we get this all right, became fatigued by the franchise's constant losing and changing of the guard and being benched at the end of last year, then quietly requested a trade, then was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, then had the Ravens take him under their wings before kicking him back out, was back in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

He was rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee. He was talking to the team's management.

And everyone decided Crosby should run it back with the Raiders in 2026.

Maxx Crosby: ‘I’m A Raider'

So Crosby has been able to reach the point where he's at peace remaining with the team.

We know this from an unimpeachable source: Maxx Crosby himself.

"Everything Happens For A Reason," Crosby posted on his X account Thursday night. "Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. 

"I'm A Raider. I’m Back. Run That Sh*t."

Crosby posted this with a meme of wrestling's Undertaker coming out of a box that resembles a coffin surrounded by flames. 

A rebirth?

Crosby's post published days after he bid an emotional farewell to the Raiders. Days after he expressed excitement about joining the Ravens after they agreed to acquire him in exchange for two first-round picks. But it came a day before the Ravens backed out of that trade.

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ravens' DeCosta Made ‘Tough Call’

That came on Tuesday when Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and the club's doctors came to the conclusion that having Crosby long-term was not viable based on the medical examinations and opinions they had. The knee, they believed, was troubling to them.

And so, the team scheduled to pay him $30 million this year, and not much less than that each year through 2029, didn't wish to risk that high salary commitment plus the two first-round picks the team was also yielding.

"I think in this particular instance, I'm really proud of the team and the doctors and the guys that work with me," DeCosta said during a solemn press conference in which he expressed disappointment the deal didn't pan out. "This is a tough thing that we have to deal with in this business. I don't really know what we could do differently than what we did. 

"So again, it was a really, really, really tough call. There were moments yesterday when, honestly, I was probably speechless, just sitting in my chair in my office and just thinking about what the next step would be and trying to get as much information as possible.

"In a situation like this, you try to get as much information as you can from as many different sources as you can, and it just didn't work out. So yes, [it’s] tough [and] very, very challenging. We've dealt with these kinds of things in the past, but probably never at such a large figure, so [it’s] challenging."  

NEW YORK - Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers poses with The Heisman Memorial Trophy during a news conference at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Raiders Have A New Look

None of that explains why Crosby has changed his mind about the Raiders.

This might: The club Crosby returned to isn't the same one he left.

The Raiders have added talent. They added All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum, Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, Packers linebacker Quay Walker, Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye, receiver Jalen Nailor, and they re-signed cornerback Eric Stokes and defensive end Malcolm Koonce.

The Raiders will also be drafting No. 1 overall, with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza the almost certain target – a quarterback Crosby will apparently be seeing in practice.