The Ravens remain at the heart of the NFL’s most notable (and controversial) storyline of the offseason. Shortly after backing out of the trade agreement which would have sent Maxx Crosby to Baltimore, the team agreed to terms with free agent Trey Hendrickson. 
GM Eric DeCosta spoke about the matter recently at a press conference. Notably, he said (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley) the Ravens’ initial plan was to sign Hendrickson while also following through on the Crosby trade. Baltimore’s push to sign the former Bengals sack artist picked up late Tuesday, a point well after the free agent negotiating window opened but before – officially, at least – the Crosby trade fell through.
DeCosta said he was “gutted” about the fact his agreement with Raiders counterpart John Spytek was not finalized. The Ravens were set to send their first-round pick in 2026 and ’27 to Vegas for Crosby, who now remains under contract with Vegas.
The All-Pro’s future is once again in question, although he appears to be on course to continue his decorated run with the franchise. Crosby continues to rehab surgery following a meniscus repair; a failed physical led to the trade being called off, though DeCosta did not specifically reference Crosby’s medical testing when reflecting on this high-profile saga.
The timing of this matter proved to be impactful, with Monday marking (as usual) the busiest point on the calendar with respect to free agent deals being agreed to. Vegas in particular was active, with edge rusher Kwity Paye among the players set to be brought in. As Hensley’s colleague Jeremy Fowler notes, Crosby’s Baltimore physical did not take place until Tuesday. Many dominoes had already (unofficially) fallen by then, a sore spot for critics of how this situation has been handled.
While no league rules were broken, the Ravens’ decision to back out of the Crosby deal has led many to expect backlash from other GMs. DeCosta said, however, that his phone has not stopped ringing with the new league year continuing to unfold. It will nevertheless be interesting to see how future dealings with Baltimore take place moving forward.
Sack production was a major issue for Baltimore in 2025, making it no surprise the Crosby trade was worked out in the first place or that a big-ticket Hendrickson deal was signed. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports Baltimore planned on restructuring Crosby’s contract (which runs through 2029 and is based heavily on base salaries) upon arrival. She adds, however, that doing so would have moved him near the top of the pass rush market and thus made a Hendrickson pact difficult to arrange given Baltimore’s cap situation.
Of course, that is now a moot point with Crosby set to continue with the Raiders or be traded to another team. Nonetheless, DeCosta’s remarks are certainly noteworthy in the wake of the criticism he has faced. Whether or not Hendrickson winds up being paired with one of the few low-cost EDGE options still on the market or a high draft choice in April will make for a storyline worth following.
This clown is just trying to save face lol! No way they were planing on both lol. Full of ….
I had the same reaction Larry.
I’ve said before that almost all these “after the fact” articles appear to be attempts at face saving and damage control. I guess the PFR staff have to post these articles but I generally just ignore them.
Is his nose usually that big?
EXACTLY.
I found this article hilarious. No way could they, or would they sign both.
Tell me you didn’t graduate high school without telling me.
Tell yourself that your alive and not dead.
The only supposed backlash I hear are from reporters and not anyone from any NFL team. Are the Raiders salty this didn’t play out? Sure, but the Ravens aren’t to blame for the Raiders stupidity. The deal wasn’t official, and they went to town on business like it was. If the other NFL teams want to play hardball, well, the Ravens could just respond in kind.
Yeah blame the raiders for taking a team at its word. I’m not saying the raiders are blameless here but how many FA have backed out of deals they agreed to before they could actually sign contracts? How many other trades have been backed out of? Did the ravens live under a rock and not know Crosby had surgery? If there was legit injury concerns I’d bet the raiders would have reworked the deal. It’s just bad all the way around
Two firsts is a massive commitment. If there was any sign of future injury risk, it’s smart to bail. Don’t be emotional.
The ravens knew of the injury prior to agreeing to the trade.
I’d rather the ravens come out and say yeah we changed our minds. Right now they look terrible for how they handled this. Now trying to cover it up with the idea they were going to still sign Hendrickson to go with Crosby.
I don’t have skin in this game but it’s a terrible look.
The question is the severity of the injury. Not whether or not he was injured. The Ravens didn’t just sit back and then just say, “nah.” They finally were able to get him in house and get a slew of doctors to look him over. It was after that when it was decided the deal was off. Logic would dictate that these examinations found something new that the Ravens were not aware of before hand.
So why would they just come out and say that? They don’t look terrible at all. They were in negotiations with both Hendrickson and Crosby at nearly the same times, so there’s that.
Yeah, it is a terrible look for the Raiders.
The dirty bird punks Biscotti & DeCosta just got mad that the Raiders 2nd year GM Spytek WON THE TRADE of Maxx for two 1sts, the NFL TV/online pundits raked the Ravens LIECosta all weekend, on Monday the Ravens FA’s were leaving for Harbaugh’s Giants AND THEN RAIDERS’ SPYTEK SIGNED THEIR PRIZE C LINDERBAUM (who Ravens were lowballing) to a record deal…now they acting like they didn’t know Maxx’ rehab timeline and failed “the physical” at the 11th hour when he just got off crutches, while “talking” to Hendrickson behind closed doors as Maxx his wife Rachel & their daughter was in Ravens offices since Saturday?! BUT THIS IS THE RAIDERS FAULT?!
*ALSO PUT UP OR SHUTUP LIECOSTA!! You want the media/fans to beLIEve this BS, then show us the so called “physical of future degeneritive knee concerns for Maxx” that led to your mountain of lies & defamation if Maxx decision!
Stick to street fighting, Ken, it suits your rage better.
They were clearly willing to give up the cost of the picks, otherwise they never would have a deal in principle. The date that the deal could become official was Wednesday at 4PM EST.
Yes, everyone knew he was injured. The question is, what the injuiry meant to his near term and long term health, whether it would be a nagging thing that he’d keep having to have work on, or whatever. You don’t know, you weren’t there, and you aren’t a doctor studying his case. Obviously the team of doctors the Ravens had look at him came up with new conerns the team was unaware of at the time of the deal in principle.
Everything you are spouting off about is mere conjecture or misrepresentation. They were in negotiations with Hendrickson at the same time as they were for Crosby.
Yes, it is the Raiders fault. They went on a spending spree on an assumption, not a done deal. That is completely their fault.
DeCosta and Bisciotti don’t give a moment’s thought to what you or the “media” thinks. Their goal is to do what is best for their organization, no matter what you or anyone else thinks.
They aren’t allowed to share medical information of a patient to the general public, silly. Then there WOULD be a lawsuit.
You’re just being emotional because the media talking heads are saying that’s how you should act. His injury proved to be worse than the Raiders revealed, and thus the deal was nixed. It’s basic stuff, here. It was a trade pending a physical, and he failed the second part.
You’re just believing what you want to believe because you value some talking heads over others..
Bull to the shizz READ ABOVE! Your the LIECosta stooge not us.
So just back out huh? Read your comment again.
Oddly enough, one such incident of what you are asking about actually occurred….to the Ravens, when they traded for Terrell Owens. Another such incident happened, oddly enough, with the Raiders and the Antonio Brown trade.
There was no deal agreed to. There couldn’t be. “The word” you refer to is very important. “PENDING A PHYSCIAL” is part of that word.
Yes, everyone knew Crosby was injured. The question is, how injured is he? Why would the Raiders rework the deal? Do they “live under a rock” and not want to get the most they can for their player?
It was bad all the way around, for the Raiders.
The Raiders had no reason to get 4 or 5 opinions on the likelihood of another injury to the knee occurring as they already had Maxx under contract. The Ravens were prepared to pay an enormous price, not only to acquire Crosby but to extend his contract, and the examining doctors saw some red flags. Apparently, the chances of the knee holding up through 2026 were pretty good but there showed some degeneration that pointed strongly to problems arising in the future. De Costa was willing to adjust the compensation to the Raiders to reflect what the doctors found but, of course, Vegas wasn’t going to just say “duhhhh… O-Kay”.
Zadarius Smith was about to re-sign with his first team, the Ravens, when a better offer came in and Z said “See ya!”
The NFL needs to make a Ravens Rule where trades can’t be agreed to until after free agency starts. Cold feet shouldn’t be an excuse to back out of a trade
Or, teams don’t need to wait for the league year to start before making a trade.
“PENDING A PHYSICAL”
That is common terminology in ALL trades. And yes, if a player fails the physical you can indeed back out of the deal. It happens all the time.
Even before trades are agreed upon, medicals are sent over. They knew he had meniscus surgery. Everyone knew. They saw Trey Hendricksons price tag go down and took advantage of the opportunity.
Different medical staff, different findings. The Raiders report didn’t show long term viability, but the Ravens report revealed he was high risk.
Then show us DON’T tell LIECosta Ravens Lying ballwashers lol
Because of something called HIPPA. The Ravens can’t share medical information of a player, especially one not under contract yet.
Again, that’s why “second opinions” exist in the medical world. The Raiders owned Maxx’s rights and the medical records were sufficient for them because they were already married to the guy. But the Ravens, paying one of the highest prices ever, took a much closer look at those medicals and examined Crosby themselves. It isn’t the health of Crosby’s knee right now that is the sticking point…it’s the future health and likelihood of injury beyond this season. 5 doctors agreed: es no bueno. That’s why the Ravens wanted to pull that second first rounder and sub something lesser or make a pick contingent. Vegas had the right to say no and did. Neither team at fault, IMO
Agreed. You nailed it. Issues with medical reviews happen a lot with trades in all team sports. I remember several years ago in the NBA with an Isaiah Thomas trade between the Cavs and the Celts where a second round pick had to be thrown in to complete the trade since his injury required more time out than originally planned.
These GED educated mouth breathers have never had a contract in front of them in their lives. Might as well tell a rock.
Ed,
Actually, no team will publicly complain about what Baltimore did.
But, the top reporters are hearing from many many teams who are all furious with the Ravens.
Baltimore broke an unwritten rule and then lied about the rationale.
Totally unprofessional.
Reporters like clicks, so they will say anything. Without any team on record and without naming names, there is no reason to believe anything they report.
There is no “unwritten rule.” There is a stipulation in any deal “PENDING A PHYSICAL.” He failed it. No deal. Simple as.
It’s a good thing that you’re not jaded.
I’m not. I worked in the industry for years, I know how it works.
The people upset at the Ravens aren’t smart enough to ever understand that. They sit behind a screen and talk about unwritten rules. DeCosta got an out because the images gave him the opportunity. That’s the whole point of the agreement. These clowns only understand legal in the context of athletic contracts as seen on TV. Walmart shoppers lol
DeCosta knows that he got away with it so he is just taunting us now.
Its like OJ’s book called “If I did it…”
The people who believe this are the same people who believe literally anything they read on the internet. This is 100% BS and he knows it. Baltimore is a scumbag organization
I believe you KC33
touche lol
Of course, the LIECosta Pinnochio Peddlers are no different then the 35% of MAGA Morons that beLIEve everything this criminal, PDF File Protecting, Illegal War Crime Mongering ‘rUMP REGIME has been lying obfuscating defaming to the Nation & the World the last 10 years plus as we spiral into WW3 and the biggest reccession since the Great Deppression.
Show the record of this so called “degeneritive knee” of Maxx’ that you knew about ALL WEEKEND LONG as Trey was hiding in the closet phone and Maxx’ wife & daughter were looking for a place in Baltimore (and the Colts were left in limbo as well with a deal ready to go for Hendrickson).
Heroine and comment sections don’t mix
Heroin is a drug. Heroine is a name for a certain woman. Goof is a name for KC
This guy was planning on signing both Tyler & Hendrickson and trading for Maxx? 🤔🤔
I’d like him to explain how that would even be financially feasible. I’ll wait.
Ravens had about 60 mill prior to signing Hendrickson. Even if they took on Crosbys contract they could have feasibly afforded Hendrickson too
They freed up 40 mill by restructuring Jackson’s contract and could have created more room by restructuring more contracts. Freeing up that space gave the Ravens the third most cap space in the league.
Not paying Linderbaum 27 mill a year also helped create financial room.
They would have been pretty cap strapped paying both Crosby and Hendrickson but they could have afforded it
Humphrey has also been a cut candidate.
That and Bateman is being shopped.
But does it make sense to pay 60 million a year for 2 def ends coming off injuries and are both at or near 30?
No. That’s why LIECosta’s spin is bull shizz.
Have you seen the Ravens pass rush lately? Well if you had, that makes one person, because there wasn’t any. With nobody really set to step up and the possibility that Justin Madubuike is done for his career, the Ravens, if they want to get something accomplished in the Lamar era, needed to get a great pass rush going.
They were doing both negotiations with for both players at nearly the same time. So there’s that.
If that’s actually true… At this point it’s about DeCosta taking something that looked bad and making it worse with this nonsense. The owner must be rolling his eyes.
You think Bisciotti didn’t know what was going on?
Bullshit
Okay, sure. Believe that as much as I believe Ray wasn’t involved in murder.
Sure, Jan.
Doesn’t matter because it didn’t happen! I don’t understand why articles like this are published. I don’t care about what a team thought about doing or almost did. That doesn’t win any games or make money for that team. Thanks for letting me vent for a minute. LOL
Buddy, you’re on a site with the word rumors right there in the name.
Once a transaction happens, rumors are meaningless.
Dude the site is literally called trade RUMORS not trade transactions. Why even waste your time here.
I’m fine with rumors that come before transactions, but after the fact it doesn’t make sense to talk about what teams were doing with that player that didn’t acquire him.
I understand where you guys are coming from. I just look at it a different way.
Well, there was no transaction in this case.
Yeah,but this came out after the Hendrickson deal was announced. It doesn’t matter.
I don’t think you got the order correct. The Ravens rejected the deal first on a failed physical.
Hahahaha.. nice try by the ravens PR team to try to save face. Nobody believes that BS..
In the words of the great Ron Burgundy, “I don’t believe you.”
That gif of Burgandy has been used alot by me regarding this story the last few day.
And their response to you is the Stephen A. Smith meme, “We don’t care.”
Another piece on, “well people are mad that it played out this way” to the point where they’ve tried to connect dots with 2 other failed physicals.
Ryan Grant failed a physical on the 14th, Michael Crabtree was available the 16th but somehow those were the same.
The Ravens had already traded for Calais Campbell when Michael Brockers had failed his physical but again; trying to connect dots that don’t.
You think Ravens fans didn’t want the trade? You’re dumb. Most people complaining are the ones that clowned it for an overpay and then can’t say it anymore so now it’s a conspiracy
Not a conspiracy. They realized Trey Hendrickson price tag dropped so they could sign him and keep their two first rounders. It’s a smart move. A scummy one, but smart
But not smart for DeCosta to keep running his mouth. He’s only made it worse.
Hendrickson better hurry up and sign his contract before the Ravens change their mind about that, as well.
They could cut him any time they want to. He would still get paid what his contract calls for that is guaranteed.
That’s not how unsigned deals work with the Ravens Ed. DeCosta is ruthless and would sell his mom’s TV if it got him a better deal. A handshake deal means nothing to him when he can back out for something better.
A handshake deal means nothing in the business world. You’re dreaming.
Yep. Ask DeCosta about his “deal” with Zadarius Smith
No one is spending that on Two Edge Rushers
Nice try but we see through the lies
Liar liar pants on fire.
Rrrrrrrright. Sure. 💯
I think they were also going to lure Aaron Donald out of retirement.
LIAR!!!!
There is nothing flimsier than articles about trades a team was going to make but didn’t, players they were going to sign but didn’t or players they were going to draft but didn’t.
Do you really need clicks that badly that you’ll peddle rubbish like that?
another dope who doesn’t understand he is on a website with RUMORS in the actual title.
Take it all in Mr. Gullible. Rumors do not need to equal impossible to confirm garbage. You must salivate over the Google News Clickbait stories that still have Crosby going to your team.
Gullible is better than just plain stupid, Mr “I am going to go to pro football rumors website, then complain about the articles with rumors”
Speculation based on some sort of source is a rumor.
Speculation based on nothing is clickbait.
After the fact claims of pursuing a player now locked in with another team is worse than clickbait.
You can enjoy whatever level of these so called rumors you wish. I assume you’ll have to pause reading or creating Mock Drafts when you do so.
Here is where we are different, If i see an article I am not interested in, I dont bother to read it, or comment about it. Unlike you who decides not only is this article stupid and uninteresting, I am going to the comment section to let people know how much I dont like it. AND I am going to keep arguing with someone and make fun of them because they happen to like it. Narcissist much?
You initiated dialogue to a general comment not directed at you. You elected to refer to me as a “dope”.
Try another side hustle rather than “White Knight” to Adam La Rose.
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap….good luck striking a deal with the 31 other teams in the league there buddy
Yeah okay bud
I love how everyone on here thinks they know what “really” happened. Well done, detectives!
The only change the NFL might consider is requiring teams to announce a trade only after a physical has been passed.
If we believe that DeCosta and the Ravens are lying, it would mean Trey Hendrickson is lying too. Do we think he’s in on this? Or is what DeCosta saying true?
We’ll never really know, and the ones who are impacted by this for the future are the Ravens and the Raiders. Other GMs will take note one way or another when it comes to trading with both of these teams.
People aren’t media literate, so they get angry about whatever the talking heads tell them to be angry about. It’s embarrassing for them.
riiiiiight……
BULLSHIT!
Sometimes the lie is worse than the action. If that was true then that makes you look even worse…70 mil into two DE?
CHILD PLEASE!! You think we are that dumb LIECosta with that BS lie “We were gonna sign them both.” YEAHH RIGHT?! Spend 75mill + on two players both older FA’s with Lamar still wanting a new deal?
You defamed Maxx, you did dirty vs. Davis, Spytek, Kubiak Raiders, karma is real Ravens Front Office, you get what you give.