Inside the NFL’s reaction to Ravens backing out of Maxx Crosby trade with Raiders

The Baltimore Ravens pulling out of the blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade set shockwaves through the NFL Tuesday night, immediately changing the fortunes of the Ravens and Raiders while also impacting teams still looking to do deals at one of the most important positions in the sport.

Four days after agreeing to trade two first-round picks for the Pro Bowl pass rusher, the Ravens backed out of the deal less than 24 hours before it would be official at the start of the new league year due to issues arising from Crosby’s in-person medical evaluation, sources tell CBS Sports.

The Ravens now get back their No. 14 overall selection in the 2026 draft as well as their 2027 first-round pick. The Raiders, still flush with cap space, take Crosby back to their team with hopes they can deal him to an interested party for the same price, though that may be hard to get now.

But a trade involving two first-round picks has never been clawed back just before the deadline. A common feeling among NFL sources was that the Ravens — and not the Raiders — were to blame for this deal falling through.

“It doesn’t smell right,” said one team executive.

“How can a team ever trust the Ravens again?,” asked one agent.

“I don’t think many teams will feel comfortable trading with the Ravens,” said one league source.

“How on earth can you blame anyone in this situation without actually knowing what happened?,” said a second team executive.

What is known is Crosby was in Baltimore on Tuesday and met with the team’s medical staff. After that meeting, at some point Tuesday, the trade was off. The Ravens have not commented, and the Raiders issued a two-sentence statement that pointed in the direction of Baltimore.

Because of medical privacy laws, the Ravens are unlikely to trot out their doctors to hold a press conference about why they didn’t feel comfortable moving forward with Crosby. It will be up to GM Eric DeCosta, and possibly owner Steve Bisciotti, to explain why the team pulled out of the megadeal.

The ripple effects are enormous. The Ravens still need a pass rusher. The Raiders are going to go house shopping today hoping they can get a mortgage rate from 2021. What becomes of the pass rushers who may get dealt? Or the teams that could have been interested in Crosby before?

And, perhaps most interestingly, what happens with the free-agent pass rusher who led the league in sacks just two seasons ago?

According to multiple sources, Trey Hendrickson had planned to make the decision on his next team by Wednesday morning. The former Bengals pass rusher had 17.5 sacks in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons before suffering an injury that required core muscle surgery.

Before the start of free agency, Hendrickson had hoped to receive a contract that averaged at least $35 million per year, according to sources. He stuck to that price through the first day and a half of free agency as GMs told CBS Sports their valuation delta was close to $10 million per year.

Teams around the league were waiting on Hendrickson to make his move in this wave of free agency as Jaelen Phillips inked a $30 million per year deal with Carolina and Washington signed Odafe Oweh to a $25 million per year contract. Where Hendrickson went, and what we would sign for, was supposed to lead to a Jonathan Greenard trade out of Minnesota before the start of the league year.

But the Crosby news potentially threw a wrench into things Tuesday night. The Ravens still need a pass rusher, and Hendrickson is available without having to give up two first rounders.

The Cowboys had been in the mix for Crosby, offering up a first-round pick, a second-round pick and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to Las Vegas before finishing in second place behind the Ravens. Since then, the Cowboys have turned $11 million of Kenny Clark’s roster bonus into a signing bonus and traded for Rashan Gary. Even if Dallas deals Odighizuwa at some point, they still have legitimate cap issues if they wanted to fit in Crosby.

Even if Dallas became interested, sources are dubious the same deal would be on the table now than before. “Jerry’s a BUSINESS man,” one coach said. “Yesterday’s price…,” began a third team executive said, with the understanding that it would not be today’s price.

The Chicago Bears, interested in Crosby before the Ravens would-be trade, seemingly spent all their free dollars by Tuesday morning. The Bills have been rumored in several deals, but sending a second-round pick to Chicago for D.J. Moore means they likely don’t have the draft capital to make another high-profile deal.

Crosby’s true medical evaluation is likely to be debated between these teams for years to come. Sources at multiple teams reached out to CBS Sports Tuesday night to say they had concerns about Crosby’s knee during their own evaluation process. A Raiders source during Crosby’s tenure with the team said he struggled to get through light practices at times due to knee and ankle issues.

In January, Crosby had surgery to repair his meniscus. The Raiders had shut him down toward the end of the season, much to Crosby’s chagrin. He was supposed to be fully healthy by training camp, if not sooner.

“Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon Dr. Neal El Attrache,” Crosby’s agent, C.J. LaBoy, posted on X, Tuesday night. “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.”

The Raiders clearly believe they gave the information they needed to provide. Crosby’s agents do, too. As of Tuesday evening, the Ravens have not said anything publicly. But Baltimore may not feel it a burden of proof beyond a “failed physical” designation as the trade was never official anyway.