Adam Schefter posed a blunt question to ESPN viewers while defending the Baltimore Ravens after it pulled out of a trade to acquire Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders
10:14 ET, 12 Mar 2026
Maxx Crosby
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The Baltimore Ravens pulled out of a deal for Maxx Crosby(Image: Getty Images)
Adam Schefter did not shy away from the debate surrounding the Baltimore Ravens and its stance on Maxx Crosby.
The Ravens surprised the Las Vegas Raiders by backing out of a proposed deal for Crosby after the star pass rusher failed his medical. Baltimore had reportedly agreed to send two first-round picks for Crosby, a move that later drew criticism given the defender’s recent knee surgery following the regular season.
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Instead, the Ravens pivoted in free agency and signed Trey Hendrickson, who plays the same position as Crosby. The move allowed Baltimore to keep its first-round selections while securing a proven pass rusher on a more affordable contract. Crosby recently broke his silence on the deal collapsing.
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During an appearance on ESPN's Get Up, Schefter posed the question: “Do all these people who are questioning the Ravens have access to that medical information right now?”
He also clarified the Ravens' decision to back out of the deal, saying: "When you're making an investment that sizable, two first round draft picks, tens of millions of dollars to the player himself in guaranteed money, you want to make sure that your doctors can examine that player's knee.
"And when that happened, the only ones that have access to that information are the Baltimore Ravens. They were planning a celebration. Maxx Crosby and his wife were flown to Baltimore. He went through the physical. They were going to dinner that night.
They were going to finalize the trade, and when the doctors examined his knee, the Ravens could not and did not feel comfortable moving forward in the trade, and that is why they backed out of it."
The Raiders tweeted that the Ravens had pulled out of the agreement before it was publicly confirmed that Crosby had failed his physical. The announcement confused many, as Crosby’s recent knee surgery had made it widely expected that he would not pass the medical evaluation.
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One NFL general manager is reportedly furious with the Ravens, suggesting he sees through the team’s maneuvring and questions the reasoning behind their actions. He told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero: "This is very much b------- on Baltimore’s part.”
Pelissero added: "The reaction from other people within the NFL, that I am getting, is predominantly how the Ravens pulled the rug out, regardless of what their reasoning was. This just does not happen. It has happened on multiple other occasions in the past, on much smaller trades or agreements involving the Ravens.
"However, when you are talking about trading first-round picks, this is not an unknown issue with Maxx Crosby. Everyone knew he had a knee injury. Everyone knew he finished on injured reserve.
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"Everyone knew, based on [Ian Rapoport’s] reporting, that he had a meniscus surgery that was actually not just a trim, but a meniscus repair that has a longer-term type of timeline.
"But that did not stop several teams from offering a first-round pick and more as part of a trade offer. It did not stop the Ravens from offering two first-round picks. This is not a situation where, if you put in a bid in an online auction, then if you don’t like the item, you return it via Amazon! This is a trade involving a superstar player in the NFL."