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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is glad that the trade that would have sent Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens fell through. The Silver and Black were about to receive two first-round picks from Baltimore, but a failed physical led to the trade falling through.
Nonetheless, because of the Raiders’ salary cap situation, they were able to welcome Crosby back and now appear to be moving forward with a team that will at least try to compete after their offseason spending.
Moreover, Las Vegas spent a lot on defense this offseason with the arrivals of Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, among others. Additionally, Kubiak sees Crosby remaining with the Raiders as another free agent signing.
“I think I’ve seen Maxx almost every day,” Kubiak told NFL Senior National Columnist Judy Battista on Sunday at the Annual League Meeting on March 29 (h/t NFL.com). “He’s in the building every day, he beats a lot of the coaches in there. A really impressive guy. Being a great player is really important to him.
“You can just tell by the way he shows up. I think John (Spytek) said this, but it’s kind of like he never left. I felt like we picked up another free-agent signing once we got him back from Baltimore. Really excited about him leading our defense.”
Additionally, Kubiak isn’t worried about Crosby’s recovery from his offseason meniscus surgery, even though that procedure may have caused Baltimore to hesitate on completing the trade.
“I know there’s gonna be a point in training camp where we’re going to get him back,” Kubiak said. “I’m not gonna get too much further into that. I think training camp, he’ll be back ready to roll. With the way that he works, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s ready earlier.”
Raiders GM Gets Blunt About Maxx Crosby
Meanwhile, Kubiak isn’t the only one talking about the failed Crosby trade. Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke about Crosby and shared the team’s position on the situation.
“My relationship with Maxx since I’ve gotten here has been great,” Spytek said in a March 26 video on the Raiders YouTube channel. “We had a lot of conversations throughout the season, at the end of the season, and through the offseason. We were presented with a challenging and difficult decision to make.
“Things have a way of going a certain way and working out the way they’re supposed to. We welcome him like he never left because he really never did. It’s exciting to see him work hard and attack the rehab like we know. I know he’s going to be back, ready to rock in August this year and have many good years ahead of him still.”
Could Maxx Crosby Be a Trade Deadline Candidate?
Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared his take on how he sees the Crosby situation playing out and noted that he doesn’t foresee a trade involving Crosby leading up to or at the NFL Draft.
“If he’s going to be traded, I think it’s going to have to come after Maxx Crosby gets back on the field and plays really well, so people will forget about everything that just happened,” Breer said in a March 20 video from “The MMQB NFL Podcast.”
“That way, it becomes a little easier when it comes to managing your owners and your fan base. It also makes it easier to go out and trade for him again. That’s not a bad place for the Raiders to be, either. When you look at where they are, it’s like, ‘OK, Maxx is going to help build a culture, and they’ll move forward as if he’s part of the team.’
“But if they’re really bad in October or early November and he’s playing great, then they can have that conversation. That’s probably the smartest way to move forward if you’re the Raiders.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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