Everyone was happy.
The Las Vegas Raiders had landed a massive return for their superstar edge rusher, gaining two first-round picks, which could accelerate their rebuild. Maxx Crosby got to go play with a contender and had the chance to play meaningful football for just the second time in his career.
But the Baltimore Ravens messed everything up by putting the kibosh on the deal on Tuesday evening in a suspicious manner. They cited a failed physical as the reason for flaking out on the deal, but Crosby's agent, CJ LaBoy, isn't buying that. He posted this on social media, and Crosby reposted:
"Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon Dr Neal El Attrache," LaBoy wrote. "Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons."
Maxx Crosby's agent fights back and throws wrench into Ravens' excuse
Now, everyone in the whole world knew that Crosby was injured. It was posted on his Instagram, talked about at length by reporters, and was the very reason that the Raiders were trading their star in the first place. The Ravens can't act like they were led astray here.
It's hard to imagine an NFL franchise, especially one willing to pony up two first-round picks for Crosby, didn't do its homework on him or was blindsided. Sure, his medicals could have looked way worse than anticipated. But Crosby has always played through and thrived in the face of injuries.
ESPN's Adam Schefter gathered intel from Crosby's surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who is a high-profile figure in sports medicine and widely regarded as one of the best sports surgeons. He's worked on countless major surgeries for some of the best athletes in the world.
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Here was his take on the situation and Crosby's recovery:
"Maxx Crosby is doing very well in the early part of his rehab and recovery from surgery to treat a significant meniscus tear and the related stress injury to the bone and cartilage in his knee. He is certainly on track in his planned program….he feels very well and is already much improved compared to before surgery.
“We truly respect the work of the Ravens staff with Maxx regarding the contract physical exam. We also understand the challenge the staff faces when tasked to provide a future risk assessment based on an evaluation early in the recovery process. This is especially challenging when dealing with an elite player like Maxx considering the level of commitment necessary for a team to obtain him. The timing of this assessment is unfortunate because the apparent risk will lessen as his recovery progresses and his return to performance over the next few months becomes clear.
“At this point, Maxx is doing an excellent job attacking his rehab, and his knee is responding very well. We look forward to Maxx returning to his elite level of performance this season as planned and for several more to come.”
Schefter also reported that the Dallas Cowboys' team doctor, who performed recent surgeries on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers, was consulted by the Ravens' doctors during this process. It is unclear why he was involved, but it's significant as it pertains to a potential Cowboys trade.
The Ravens have put the Raiders in an incredibly difficult situation by bailing out on the deal, and they've already turned around to sign Trey Hendrickson with the money they had allocated for Crosby upon his arrival.
It is hard not to be a conspiracy theorist, especially when things like this always seem to happen to the Silver and Black. Crosby and his agent don't seem to think anything is wrong, nor does Crosby's surgeon. But Baltimore's team doctors feel differently, and we'll never get an explanation as to why.