Maxx Crosby is back with the Raiders, thanks to the Ravens‘ controversial nixing of a blockbuster trade. While trade talks could reignite ahead of the draft or perhaps as far down the road as training camp, the All-Pro edge rusher has reaffirmed his commitment to the Raiders.
A number of teams were in the mix for the star defender, but the Cowboys were viewed as the runners-up to the Ravens. Baltimore’s decision to give up two first-round picks won the March trade derby — before it all unraveled days later — but Dallas made an aggressive pursuit that involved a few offers.
The Cowboys initially proposed a trade of Osa Odighizuwa and the second of their two first-round picks (No. 20) for Crosby, ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden reports, before sweetening the deal. After Las Vegas rejected the proposals with Odighizuwa, McFadden indicates Dallas submitted a deal including its top first-round choice (No. 12) to go with a third-round pick. After the Raiders rejected that, the Cowboys submitted what is believed to be their final proposal: No. 12 and a second-round pick.
Because of the Quinnen Williams deadline deal, the Cowboys do not own a second-rounder this year. The Raiders seemingly rejected an offer of No. 12 and the Cowboys’ 2027 second-rounder. Understandably, the Ravens’ offer of two firsts made the Raiders’ decision easy.
Now that the Ravens backed out of the deal due to long-term concerns about Crosby’s knee, the Cowboys and other teams are free to make another run at a trade. But the Raiders are unlikely to fetch two first-rounders for a player the Ravens — external skepticism about the team’s motivations notwithstanding — failed on a physical.
Dallas considered moving back into the Crosby running after the failed trade, per McFadden, but the team has not made another run here. Though, Jerry Jones said that door is not closed. The Cowboys have been quite active with high-profile D-line transactions over the past year. They have gone from re-signing Odighizuwa (four years, $80MM) to trading him to the 49ers for a third-round pick. That trade came about because Dallas acquired Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons deal and Williams months later. The Cowboys later reunited Clark with former Packers D-line mate Rashan Gary, who accepted a pay cut to facilitate the trade.
Gary and Crosby are in different leagues as pass rushers, with the former coming up as a Green Bay cap-casualty candidate before the Pack found a trade taker. The Cowboys also re-signed Sam Williams and used a 2025 second-round pick on Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The team would obviously upgrade with Crosby opposite Gary in Christian Parker‘s new 3-4 defense, but as our Ely Allen pointed out recently, Dallas bringing in a player Baltimore failed on a physical (as Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper consulted with the Ravens, though he did not make the final call) stands to be a longer-odds proposition compared now that this information is out. A previous report also indicated the Cowboys are standing down.
Some in the Raiders’ building doubt the Ravens nixed the trade purely based on concerns about the eighth-year veteran’s knee, per McFadden, who adds Baltimore had a “full understanding” of Crosby’s meniscus injury and rehab timeline before making the trade. Casting further doubt on the Ravens’ much-debated plan to acquire Crosby and sign Trey Hendrickson, one GM (to put it mildly) does not believe Baltimore intended to pair both edge rushers, Jason La Canfora notes on Casino.org.
Other execs are skeptical regarding the Ravens’ decision, per McFadden, who indicates it is believed the Raiders were transparent about Crosby’s rehab timeline — one long expected to last months, not weeks. But long-term concerns about a “degenerative” knee issue, rather than Crosby’s 2026 status, have been mentioned as the reason for the trade being called off. The Ravens were hesitant to meet Hendrickson’s $40MM-per-year asking price, McFadden notes, joining others in that regard (teams viewed the ex-Bengal as more likely to land $25-$27MM-per-year range, which is roughly where this wrapped). Hendrickson’s price coming down allowed the Ravens to pivot from Crosby quickly, inviting considerable scrutiny from around the league.
An irked Crosby was back at the Raiders’ facility early the next morning, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer adds the longtime Las Vegas pillar appreciated both John Spytek and Klint Kubiak reaching out shortly after the failed trade. Joining our Adam La Rose in this assessment, Breer does not anticipate the Raiders trading Crosby before Week 1. The veteran reporter views the trade deadline as the more logical reevaluation point. By that point, Crosby (29 in August) will have had a chance to display full health after an expected recovery from a Jan. 7 meniscus surgery.
Additionally, some in the agent community viewed the Ravens’ conservative reputation — having never traded a first-round pick for a veteran — as a reason the Raiders should have been leery here. The opportunity for the Ravens to add Hendrickson without giving up two firsts has called many to cite this as an example of an organization getting cold feet, and the physical not taking place until Tuesday put both teams in a bind due to free agency’s peak hours unfolding before that point.
The most notable Raven or Raider transaction to occur in that time brought Tyler Linderbaum to Las Vegas on a three-year, $81MM deal (a pact essentially coming fully guaranteed) that set a record for all interior O-line accords. The Raiders may not have signed both Malcolm Koonce (one year, $11MM) and Kwity Paye (three years, $48MM) had they known Crosby would end up staying, McFadden adds. Though, the team has run into endless trouble finding complementary Crosby rushers. Perhaps this snafu could prove beneficial on that front.
While Crosby going from requesting a trade to being recommitted to the Raiders represents a fascinating development — especially with Vegas not initially seeking to trade him — more departure rumors will undoubtedly return at some point. But the Raiders may now need to see their best player rebuild his trade value. That could certainly lead to a Crosby-Paye-Koonce-Tyree Wilson EDGE setup in place to open the season.
We still have to pretend that a “failed physical” is the reason they backed out of the deal?
Well, that’s absolutely why they did it. They absolutely wanted and needed a pass rusher, so if Maxx’s knee health wasn’t and issue, why wouldn’t they keep him?
Because Trey Hendrickson’s market wasn’t as strong as they thought it would be. They got him cheaper than expected and got to keep the two firsts. Are you playing dumb about that?
Are you playing dumb about the medical reports the Ravens got back from INDEPENDENT DOCTORS that said the long term health of Maxx’s knee didn’t look good?
After backing out of the Crosby deal, a deal with Hendrickson was the next logical step, considering they were negotiating with him at the same time they were working through the Crosby deal.
Who cares? They changed their mind and nothing is final until all the paperwork is filed.
All these people crying about it like it affects them personally is hilarious.
Child please
Embryo, please.
lol… seriously? Because they found someone cheaper that didn’t cost them two first rounders, so they weaseled out of the deal. I get you are a ravens simp. But pretending this was anything but an absolutely shady business deal is embarrassing to both yourself and ravens fans.
You say there were outside medical teams that gave them different news. Please name them.
Also it’s weird that it took three weeks to find this information even when the Ravens were taking heat.?
They did what they did. It was shady and underhand. Just acknowledge it and move on.
I am not a fan of the Ravens at all. I am not a fan of any NFL team.
Read the McFadden report, it names the names of those doctors. It didn’t take three weeks to “find” the information. I am sure the Raiders already knew, and the Ravens found out when all of those doctors examined him. There are rules and stipulations around releasing medical information about players. Maybe you should read up on that. The Ravens also still haven’t released the medical information about Justin Madubuike and he was injured early last season. Is there something shady going on there?
You just don’t understand how football, the NFL, and businesses work. You THINK you do, and that’s why people like you react emotionally rather than using your brain.
Who were the Ravens taking heat from? Crosby and the Raiders. Only the media was fostering this notiton that the entire NFL was mad at the Ravens.
No wrongdoing on the Ravens part at all. Just learn football, business, and how the NFL works, how the deals work, how contracts work, acknowledge your ignorance, and move on.
So again. You couldn’t name names.
And your only defense is you “don’t know ball”.
Excellent rebuttals
Keep simpin.
Absolute clown shoes
I am not here to answer to your beck and call and do your homework for you. The doctor’s name is in the McFadden report that is mentioned extensively in this post made by the arthur that you are spending time flapping your fingers away in a tizzy about instead of stop being lazy and go read it for yoruself. I don’t have to name names, the name was already named for you. Go look.
You don’t know football, business, or how deals work. That’s obvious from your comments. Don’t get angry at me that you exposed what you don’t know.
The only one “simpin” around here is you. Keep sucking on the Raiders and media teet and liking your own comments, clown face.
Eric DeCosta burner account
Right?
No.
Sure, Eric DeCosta would spend time on NFL Trade Rumors sites to entertain the likes of you….this is the level of genius I am dealing with here and trying to have an intelligent conversation with and educate on how things actually are in the real world.
So should I just copy and paste my previous comment?
Your defense is
A: it was put out there
B: you don’t know ball..
Okay.. do you have anything original?
It’s so exhausting all the arguments defending the Ravens
A: They didn’t break any rules
Technically not breaking the rules doesn’t mean it wasn’t unprofessional, suspect, and not the right way to behave.
B: They had independent doctors look at it
Independent doctors they paid
C: His knees have clear issues and there are concerns going forward
He’s a 28 year old defensive end with knee injuries and knee surgery. He was never going to have clean medicals. There would always be concerns how he would age into his mid 30s if extended. They knew this when making the trade. It’s obvious. And it’s one of those things where there’s easy to point to things in the exam as an excuse. But that’s like buying a car with 200k miles on it then complaining it might not last 10 years after buying.
There is no “defense of the Ravens.” Simply posting the truth to the ignorant.
A. Correct, they didn’t break any rules. Everything else you typed after that is insignificant and incorrect. The only ones that are miffed about it are Crosby himself (who lied about how his visit with the Ravens panned out), The Raiders who think they got shafted, the talking heads in the media, and the silly gooses like I am dealing with in this comment section that eat that all up.
B. The Raiders paid their doctors to look at Crosby that offered a positive viewpoint on his knee condition. I guess you can’t trust them either according to your own logic. You pay your doctor to give you medical information about yourself, do you not trust them? What kind of stupid point is this?
C. Yes, he was injured. That’s not the issue here. The issue is NEW information that reveals a degenerative issue with his knee. I notice how none of you actually acknowledge or address this information at all. It is almost like you don’t want to pay any attention to the truth of the matter.
Your car analogy is cute, but we’re not talking about a car that you’re getting used for $500. And if you take the car to a mechanic for an inspection before you buy it and they tell you that the car is nothing but rust on the frame, you cancel the deal to buy the car.
The only thing obvious is that you are all really angry with the Ravens for doing something that happens all the time in the NFL and other sports. Why does it hurt your feelings so much? Are you all burner accounts for the Raiders front office? Stop crying about it. Nobody cares what you think, and it isn’t that important for you all to cry about. It is called the NFL, business, and how deals are done. If you don’t like it, stop supporting the NFL and all other sports.
No, you should actually stop being lazy and ignorant and do some research and educate yourself so you can actually post something intelligent and original. What’s wrong? Afraid to learn something new and get proven wrong like we all know you are anyway?
There was nothing controversial about this situation. The Raiders didn’t report everything they knew about his knee. The Ravens team of doctors, which including several outside of their own organization, revealed new information about his knee. That there was a degenerative condition that called the long term health of his knee into question. Armed with this new information, the Ravens were well within their rights to rescind their offer of the trade. The fact that the Raiders didn’t act with intelligence and wait for the deal to become finalized first and went out and spent like wild is their problem, not the Ravens.
Are you saying that Tom Brady would falsify information to gain an unfair advantage? Unheard of!
There wasn’t anything in the medicals that the Raiders held back. The doctor who performed the surgery is the well respected Neil El Attrache. He said Crosby was ahead of schedule.
The Ravens doctors weren’t comfortable with the long term outlook, which is their judgement.
Expecting the Raiders to wait until the trade/final physical to make free agent moves is a dumb comment. The Raiders can’t afford to let players come off the board on the off chance that the Ravens charge their mind.
And a well respected doctor that was not a Ravens doctor who is an expert in the field reviewed Crosby’s knee and pointed out a new situation with it. So either the doctor that performed his surgery isn’t as great as you think because he missed it, or the Raiders didn’t report that finding.
I don’t expect the Raiders to do anything, but expecting the Ravens to trade two first round draft picks for a guy with a gimpy knee that is BEYOND WHAT WAS KNOWN AT THE TIME OR REVEALED is a dumb comment.
Well, the Raiders played that game and they are pissed off about it. Too bad for them and you. Go cry about it.
I’m not crying about it. Different doctors have different opinions. It doesn’t necessarily mean one doctor missed something or one team didn’t report something.
The Ravens and the Orioles are teams that have consistently cancelled deals based on failed physicals. They obviously have different standards than the other teams. That would make me more leery of trading with those teams, but not so much that I wouldn’t take the best trade offer if it came from one of those teams.
Other teams have cancelled trades for the very same reason, so your premise doesn’t hold water.
The Orioles have been correct on those “cancelled deals”. Why would a team cancel a deal? Hmmm. Because the player didn’t pass the physical?
As I remember, Baltimore pulled the same stunt on another player some time ago.
Ryan Grant and Michael Brockers both had signings with the Ravens cancelled due to physicals. Neither of them lasted long in the NFL after that. So not what I would call a stunt.
So you’re saying there’s precedent for nixing a deal when you get a rather unfavorable health report on a player? Something other teams have done plenty times in the past? Goodness, what’s the next thing you’ll tell everyone? That water is wet? My, how that will shock all the chuckleheads around here.
where ever Crosby plays this year, I hope he plays the Ravens and buries Jackson. Raider fan hasn’t forgotten Tony Siragusa breaking Rich Gannon’s collarbone in the AFC title game.
He got tackled. It is called football. Get over it.
Child please x2
Zygote, please x 50
It was actually fun seeing Goose flop on Gannon.
Phil Simms was in the booth bemoaning it, but football was alot rougher then. Defenses cant get away with that now.
Why do Raiders fans have this weird “us vs. everyone!!!!!” mentality? Lol
I don’t get why the Raiders should have been leery of trading with the Ravens (given their past history of not dealing first round picks). The Ravens made the best offer and it made sense for the Raiders to take that best offer.
Maybe if the Cowboys offered the 12th pick and a first rounder in 2027, then the Raiders take the Cowboys offer over the Ravens offer.
I’m also not clear how it would work for the Cowboys to trade one of their 2027 first round picks, because they owe the Jets whichever one turns out to be higher.
Good point. In that case the Raiders would then get the lower of the two picks (assuming that’s allowed in the NFL). I think I’ve seen that happen in the NBA where draft picks get traded more often.
using LaCanfora as a source is silly
Ravens found a cheaper solution and saved their picks, they made the deal and then thought…..damn, what’d we do, so they weaseled out of it, simple as that
No, they examined his knee and did their due dilligence to make sure their investment would pay off. They found numerous doctors outside of their own in house ones that examined the situation and found a NEW issue with his knee that was not known at the time the deal was offered. The PENDING A PHYSICAL is very important language to make sure you don’t get burned by trading away enormous capital for damaged goods. The Ravens didn’t weasel out, they were smart.
Would you call it “weaseling out” when the Ravens traded for Terrell Owens and he and his agent pulled a stunt to state that he was actually a free agent, even though he never filed the paperwork? There was no actual physical or anything. Owens’ agent didn’t do his job, Owens was NOT a free agent, and his team traded him to the Ravens. Owens didn’t want to play for the Ravens, so he cried about it. The NFL also hated the Ravens at the time, so once again screwed them over and allowed Owens to actually get traded to another team for a lower pick…somehow. At least they gave the Ravens their pick back that they traded.
So if you are okay with that move, then you should be fine with what the Ravens did, since they did absolutely nothing wrong, and nothing even close to what Owens pulled.
Cowboys would spend 90m on their front 4. That is such a cowboys thing to do.
They will sign Maxx for a big deal but refused to pay Parsons. Doesn’t make sense but that’s Jerry World