maxx crosby
Getty
Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ decision to trade defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks was a big enough bombshell on its own, but it has been overshadowed in a major way. The Raiders announced on Tuesday that the Ravens have decided to back out of the deal less than 24 hours before it could be made official with the NFL.
Crosby was out in Baltimore meeting with players and coaches, so this news has to be pretty stunning for him. Multiple reports are indicating that the Ravens are citing a failed physical for why they backed out of the trade, but it wasn’t exactly a secret that Crosby had knee surgery recently.
There’s been plenty of speculation that the Ravens simply got cold feet, and the decision hasn’t been met kindly across the NFL.
“This is very much (expletive) on Baltimore’s part,” a general manager told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
That quote from the unnamed general manager would suggest that there’s a belief around the league that the Ravens didn’t give Crosby a fair chance at passing the physical. Regardless, this is going to have major ripple effects across the NFL and could lead teams to question whether or not they want to work with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta.
NFL in Chaos
It’s rare that a single transaction can have such a major impact across the entire NFL. However, the timing and scale of the Ravens’ decision are going to affect nearly every team.
Former Raiders beat writer for The Athletic, Vic Tafur, reports that the trade is causing chaos.
“Whole league is in shock and screaming at each other,” Tafur wrote on X.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini is reporting that the Dallas Cowboys, who were the runner-up for the Crosby trade, are not considering re-engaging with the Raiders.
“Unprecedented in scope,” Tafur wrote on X in a subsequent post. “Teams debating whether they should make a (smaller) offer for Maxx Crosby. Agents wondering if players’ agreed-to deals are in jeopardy. Trey Hendrickson smiling that he hasn’t signed yet.”
GMs Not Buying Ravens’ Reasoning
No team should have to take on a player they aren’t comfortable with physically. However, Crosby wasn’t hiding the fact that he had surgery this offseason.
Plus, the trade was agreed upon last week, but the Ravens chose to wait until now to do the physical. According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, executives across the league believe that Baltimore is doing something shady.
“Just got off the phone with two GMs,” La Canfora wrote on X. “Neither one buying the Ravens failed physical narrative – not by a long shot. Good luck finding agents and teams to trust you in negotiations now. It’s not sitting well with the Raiders either. Coulda got further medicals on Crosby way sooner.”
Since the new league year hasn’t started, the Ravens don’t have any legal obligation to follow through on the trade with the Raiders, but it could open up a can of worms. If NFL teams don’t trust DeCosta, it’s going to be a lot harder for Baltimore to make deals.