Tom Brady Dodges Question on Failed Maxx Crosby Trade

Instead of discussing about Maxx Crosby's trade, Tom Brady spoke about his role as a minority owner of the Raiders.

Tom Brady Dodges Question on Failed Maxx Crosby Trade

Maxx Crosby and Tom Brady inside the circle (Image via IMAGO)

Whether intentionally or not, Tom Brady carefully avoided answering questions about the collapsed Maxx Crosby trade. Instead, Brady talked about his expanded role as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

For the uninitiated, Crosby nearly joined the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month, until the AFC North franchise decided to back out. Conflicting reports began flooding social media, making it difficult to separate the truth from misinformation.

According to a report from The Athletic, Tom Brady played a significant role in convincing Crosby to leave his beloved Raiders. As Brady became occupied with the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, media outlets began to lose interest in the story. However, in the age of digital media, nothing ever truly disappears.

Speaking after a 0-2 demolition at Saturday’s FFC, Brady navigated through the barrage of questions from reporters. In the first part, the 48-year-old shared how he learned the basics of being an owner from Mark Davis and how it contrasts with his life as an athlete.

The way that things are done and how we’re evolving and growing, and we certainly have a long ways to go. And what I learned about football in 23 seasons is, it’s a tremendous amount of resilience, adversity, discipline, determination, communication, of an entire organization to see, really, the value in committing to one another.

Tom Brady said (HT/Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports)

As his closure, Brady took a page out of his former head coach, Bill Belichick‘s, playbook. Instead of giving a clear answer about Crosby’s failed trade to the Ravens, the former quarterback kept his monologue vague.

It’s always, I think, process over outcomes, and I think we’re all trying. And all of us [at the Raiders] in our own role that we have, and the role that we have, and whether it’s an ownership role or a personnel department or strength and conditioning and athletic training and obviously players and positions and offense, defense… everyone’s got to come together.

Brady concluded

The 2026 NFL free agency opened with a blockbuster trade with the Ravens, sending two first-round draft picks to the Raiders in exchange for Crosby. Crosby traveled to Baltimore for his physical examination, but just hours later, the Ravens announced that the trade deal had been canceled.

League sources indicated that the Ravens had concerns regarding Crosby’s knee. The star player underwent surgery for the same in January. However, another report from Michael Silver, released before the trade announcement, suggested that the constant presence of Brady’s confidant, Alex Guerrero, at the Vegas facility might have influenced Crosby’s trade.

Despite being a “Raider for life,” Crosby was at his wits’ end in Sin City. He was not happy after the Raiders’ former coaching regime benched him for the final two games of last season to chase after the first overall pick in the 2026 draft. While the All-Pro edge rusher never outright asked to be traded, people close to him had realized that his time with the silver and black was quickly coming to an end.

NFL insider hints that Maxx Crosby and the Raiders no longer have bad blood between them

With the trade now off, Crosby is once more a Raider. From his perspective, the trade was never meant to happen. On the Rush podcast, Crosby shared his experience in Baltimore, describing how the Ravens’ general manager avoided meeting him until the very last moment.

Tom Brady Dodges Question on Failed Maxx Crosby Trade
Maxx Crosby (Image via IMAGO)

Crosby was certain that the Ravens would not proceed with the trade. And he has no remorse about it.

I wasn’t supposed to be in Baltimore, and that’s it. You know what I mean? I’m meant to be a Raider. It’s through my damn core. That’s it.

Crosby said on his podcast

In his report, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared that Crosby and the Raiders have put their differences behind them.

Some of the fractured trust between Crosby and the Raiders was rebuilt organically last week, when the team had his back. Crosby now has the potential to be what he’s always wanted to be for the Raiders – a flagbearer and agent of change.

Breer said

The Raiders drafted Crosby in the fourth round. Since then, he has made 110 appearances for the AFC West franchise, racking up 439 combined tackles, 133 TFLs, 69.5 sacks, and 29 pass deflections.

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