Star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby was an unofficial member of the Baltimore Ravens for about four days. He was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, March 6, and the deal would have become official when the new league year began on Wednesday, March 11. 

Before that deadline, though, the Ravens backed out of the deal, and reports cited that the defensive end failed his physical. This stirred up some controversy because the Raiders had made it clear to teams that Crosby was progressing from a knee injury he sustained in the middle of the 2025 season that ended up requiring meniscus surgery.

The morning after going back on the trade, Baltimore then signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year deal. This makes it seem like the Ravens just wanted their first-round picks back and to just move forward with Hendrickson on a cheaper deal, despite his being older. 

Now, Crosby’s future is uncertain as he returns to the Raiders. He can still be traded, but now there are questions about the status of his knee and the surgery he had in the offseason. 

Here is what we know about Crosby’s failed physical and the meniscus surgery that caused the Ravens to back out of the trade. 

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Maxx Crosby physical, explained

Physicals are an interesting thing in the NFL. While the results will be pretty conclusive, a team can choose to take them and fail the player or look past them and pass the player. For Baltimore, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that they had conversations with the surgeon who did the surgery and the Las Vegas medical staff before offering trade packages. 

Per Russini, the Ravens’ doctors and independent doctors alike agreed that Crosby’s short-term outlook was “positive.” The concern comes with Crosby’s long-term outlook, with him playing on a three-year deal, and that is where Baltimore drew the line. The Ravens reportedly did not like the draft capital they were giving up in exchange for two first-round picks, and the long-term outlook came back into the deal. 

Did Maxx Crosby fail his physical?

Crosby is not healthy. He is still recovering from the knee surgery that he had at the end of the 2025 season. Crosby did fail his physical, but it is up to individual teams whether they like the results enough to look past it, given the recovery projections. 

What is Maxx Crosby’s knee injury?

Crosby suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee on October 19, 2025, when the Raiders were taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. He played through it, dealing with the injury for the majority of the season and underwent surgery in early January.

Crosby is expected back for the 2026 preseason and should be fully ready to play when the regular season begins. 

MORE: Why did Ravens back out of trade for Maxx Crosby?

Maxx Crosby meniscus tear

Crosby suffered his knee injury in mid-October when the Raiders were taking on the Chiefs. The defensive end was on the receiving end of a low block from Chiefs tight end Noah Gray that caused Crosby to go head over heels after getting hit. Crosby initially thought that he was dealing with maybe a knee bruise or a sprain and kept playing through it. It was determined in December that it was actually a tear, and he needed surgery to fix it. 

Here is the play where Crosby suffered his knee injury. 

Maxx Crosby surgery

The star pass-rusher underwent surgery to repair his torn meniscus in January 2026. Initially, it was thought that Crosby would just need a meniscus trim, which would have his recovery measured in weeks. In reality, the defensive end underwent a minor meniscus repair, which upped the return timeline to months. According to Ian Rapoport, Crosby’s recovery is expected to take between two and four months, and initially, the NFL analyst thought that a deal for the defender would be more likely to take place at the draft in April or in the preseason. 

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote about the difference in the procedures and what it means for Crosby’s future outlook.

“A meniscus trim allows a player to recover more quickly than a repair, but teams I’ve spoken to in the past about these injuries generally believe that trims create more complications down the line and shorten careers,” Barnwell said. “Meniscus repairs require longer recovery times, but they’re more likely to produce stable knees after recovery and fewer deleterious long-term effects than the trims.”

Dr. Neal ElAttrache did the procedure and was interviewed by ESPN about Crosby’s health, and here is his statement. 

“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, Max 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.”

MORE: What’s next for Maxx Crosby after Ravens deal fell through?

When will Maxx Crosby be ready?

Crosby himself said that he expects to be fully back in June on his podcast “The Rush with Maxx Crosby.” He is already off of crutches and going through his rehab program.

There are still a few months to go in his recovery, so his official return to the field is still unknown. He could advance faster than expected, or suffer a setback, but for now, the assumption is that he is well on track to be ready for the start of the 2026 season.