NFL star Maxx Crosby’s knee surgeon is reacting to the Baltimore Ravens abruptly reversing their trade for Crosby over concerns about his health.
“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,” Dr. Neal ElAttrache told ESPN on Wednesday, March 11. “He is certainly on track in his planned program.
ElAttrache continued, “He feels very well and is already much improved compared to before surgery.”
Crosby, 28, had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end just stopped using crutches last week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Las Vegas Raiders announced they had traded Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for two first-round draft picks on Friday, March 6. But on Tuesday, March 10, the Raiders announced the deal was off.
“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement with Maxx Crosby,” the team said on social media. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Ravens balked at the trade over Crosby’s “failed physical” and questions about his long-term viability.
“We truly respect the work of the Ravens staff with Maxx regarding the contract physical exam,” Dr. ElAttrache said. “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.”
The doctor concluded, “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.”
The assessment was echoed by Crosby’s agent, CJ LaBoy, who said his client’s rehabilitation process was on schedule.
“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,” LaBoy posted via X on Tuesday.
After all of the back-and-forth, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that it’s likely Crosby stays with the Raiders for the upcoming season.
