The trade that wasn't, involving All-Pro Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby heading to Baltimore, was the talk of the NFL Wednesday.
The trade that wasn't, involving All-Pro Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby heading to Baltimore, was the talk of the NFL Wednesday.Maria Lysaker/Associated Press
Outraged by the turn of events on Tuesday, when the trade with the Ravens involving Maxx Crosby and two first-round picks fell apart, the Raiders turned to their only real recourse:
They pouted.
“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the Raiders said in a statement dripping with ire. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The Ravens squashed the deal Tuesday after their doctors examined Crosby’s knee, which had recently undergone a full meniscus repair, during a standard pre-trade physical. Wednesday morning, the Ravens pivoted to former Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, signing him for a reported four years and $112 million.
It’s understandable the Raiders were upset. They thought they were getting a haul of draft picks, including No. 14 overall this year. They had already agreed to $170 million in guaranteed money to seven free agents, operating under the assumption that Crosby’s $30 million salary and cap number were off the books. The Raiders also are now stuck with a depressed asset, knowing they won’t get close to the same trade package for Crosby again.
And the timing of the Ravens’ moves do look shady, giving the impression that they got cold feet, found an excuse to renege on the deal, and pivoted to the cheaper Hendrickson. As part of the trade, the Ravens were also going to give Crosby a new deal to put him near the top of the pass rusher market, around $40 million per year.
But there’s a reason Crosby is still a Raider, and their only recourse was to pout. As suspicious as it looked, the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta did nothing wrong. The Raiders only have themselves to blame.
The Raiders know that trades or free agent signings don’t become official until all players involved pass a physical exam. They also know that physicals are entirely subjective — teams are granted wide discretion on whether to pass or fail a player. The Raiders did this in 2014, canceling a $42 million contract with free agent Rodger Saffold after conducting a physical. Considering Crosby played part of last season through a torn meniscus and was still on crutches a week ago, the pre-trade physical was going to be more than a formality.
Yet the Raiders leaked (or allowed to be leaked) the trade terms to the media before the Ravens conducted their pre-trade physical exam. They also gave the Ravens four days to stew on the deal, agreeing to the trade on Friday but allowing the Ravens to schedule the physical on Tuesday. Given the importance of the swap, and the risk involved with Crosby’s knee, the Raiders should have kept the deal quiet and demanded the Ravens examine Crosby immediately.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, a Taunton native, acted fully within league laws and his team's rights to nix the Maxx Crosby trade after he failed a physical.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, a Taunton native, acted fully within league laws and his team's rights to nix the Maxx Crosby trade after he failed a physical.Justin Casterline/Getty
DeCosta and the Ravens may have had buyer’s remorse and were looking for a way out of the trade, but it doesn’t matter. They were within their rights to fail Crosby’s physical, much like prospective home-buyers can walk away from escrow if an inspection turns up unexpected damage.
While the Ravens obviously knew Crosby was rehabbing from surgery, it is certainly possible that Tuesday’s exam turned up damage that was more extensive than expected. The Ravens reportedly consulted with the Cowboys’ team doctor, Dr. Dan Cooper, considered one of the leading knee surgeons who performed on Patrick Mahomes recently.
DeCosta, a Taunton native, took questions from reporters on Wednesday evening, and didn’t sound thrilled to have to turn down Crosby and disappoint millions of Ravens fans.
“Nobody’s more upset about this than me — gutted by it, actually,” DeCosta said. “It was going to be our biggest foundational acquisition this year. … I know our fans are upset (and) devastated. Tough, tough situation, but I think for the Ravens, the right situation. My role as GM … we have to make tough calls. And this was certainly a tough call to make.”
DeCosta and the Ravens took plenty of criticism Wednesday, mostly from anonymous NFL executives who thought the Ravens were playing loose with the rules. In a normal business environment, the Ravens might have burned some bridges and damaged their prospects of making deals in the future. But the NFL is no normal business environment, and the Ravens will remain 1/32nd of the ecosystem.
“For all the ‘team sources’ saying they won’t deal with the Ravens again; well, yes they will,” former Packers executive Andrew Brandt wrote on X. “I remember being (upset) at a team or an agent, but when they had a player that we wanted, we were all good again. The Ravens did what they had to do, they’ll deal with any hard feelings.”
If anyone has a right to raise an eyebrow at the Ravens, it might be Hendrickson, who chose the Ravens on Wednesday morning over several suitors. The Ravens offered the best financial package, but were they transparent with Hendrickson on Tuesday that they had failed Crosby on the physical? If they weren’t, Hendrickson may not have known how valuable he had become to the Ravens.
The Ravens quickly audibled after nixing the Maxx Crosby deal, agreeing to a trade with Cincinnati for star defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
The Ravens quickly audibled after nixing the Maxx Crosby deal, agreeing to a trade with Cincinnati for star defensive end Trey Hendrickson.Jeff Dean/Associated Press
DeCosta said the Ravens considered acquiring both Crosby and Hendrickson. The idea, though, of the Ravens paying $70 million for two pass rushers seems a bit unrealistic.
“Not to say it would’ve happened, but definitely something we contemplated and discussed with Trey,” DeCosta said.
Neither team came out a winner here. The Raiders are stuck with a depressed asset. The Ravens disappointed millions of fans by walking away from a superstar. The only winner may be the team that eventually trades for Crosby for 75 cents on the dollar.
It’s an unfortunate saga, but the Ravens did nothing wrong. And now the Raiders have learned to keep their mouth shut until the player passes his physical.
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Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.