Maxx Crosby
Getty
An anonymous general manager has called out the Ravens for their handling of the Maxx Crosby trade situation
The Baltimore Ravens have had a hectic start to the offseason, and that may be putting it lightly. As if firing head coach John Harbaugh after the conclusion of the 2025 campaign wasn’t enough, the Ravens have made headlines for pulling off a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby, only to back out at the last second after he failed his physical.
Baltimore’s handling of this situation has resulted in it receiving quite a bit of flak from folks across the league, and that chatter only ratcheted up when it signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract in free agency less than 24 hours after it pulled the plug on the Crosby deal. When asked about the Crosby trade fiasco, one anonymous general manager who was also pursuing the sack specialist made sure to throw a couple of jabs at the Ravens.
GM Torches Baltimore for Maxx Crosby Trade Fiasco
After getting shut down early in the 2025 campaign, Crosby began working on forcing his way off the Raiders. For a point in time, he got what he wanted, as Las Vegas traded him to Baltimore in exchange for its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. There’s no doubt that’s a massive haul, but Crosby, who has 69.5 sacks through his first seven seasons in the NFL, seemed to be worth the investment.
Out of nowhere, everything went off the rails. Reports indicated that the Ravens suddenly began pursuing Hendrickson, and hours later, it was revealed that Crosby had failed his physical, meaning the trade was off. Some folks wondered if Baltimore was truly spooked by what it saw when checking out Crosby’s medicals, or if it decided to pivot after seeing Hendrickson was still available.
Whatever the actual reasoning for this move may have been, there’s no going back now. Crosby is back with the Raiders, and it’s clear he’s not happy with the Ravens. In an interview with casino.org, NFL insider Jason La Canfora revealed that many people in the NFL are on Crosby’s side, with one anonymous general manager saying he isn’t surprised that Baltimore pulled out of this trade.
“You have to know who you’re dealing with,” the GM said, per La Canfora. “Those guys have used the physical to get out of deals before. They had never traded a one (first-round pick) for a player, ever, and now they’re going to trade two for a 29-year-old coming off surgery? The agents knew there was a chance Baltimore would pull out of this thing. It’s not like it’s out of character.”
Ravens Moving on from Maxx Crosby Trade Debacle
Maxx Crosby, Baltimore Ravens
GettyMaxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on before the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Ravens’ handling of the whole Crosby trade situation has certainly been a bit shady, but it’s in the past now. Crosby is sticking with Las Vegas, and instead, Hendrickson will now be tasked with emerging as Baltimore’s top pass rusher. Considering how he only played in seven games last year, though, it’s not exactly like he has a clean bill of health either.
Trade talks involving Crosby could emerge again in the future, but for the time being, he seems set to stick with the Raiders for at least the 2026 campaign. One thing is for sure, though; he won’t be playing for Baltimore anytime soon, and if this slate of moves blows up in the team’s face, you can bet it will get quite a bit of grief from the rest of the league.