NFL Confidential: League Execs Not Happy with Ravens After Nixing Maxx Crosby Trade

The Baltimore Ravens’ decision to call off the Maxx Crosby trade not only surprised the NFL world but also upset several people around the league. We surveyed several people around the league for their thoughts on Tuesday’s news that Crosby was going back to the Las Vegas Raiders (at least for now). The consensus was that the Ravens might have overstepped their boundary by calling the trade-off, even if the star edge rusher failed a physical just a couple of months after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear. We also tried to find out what might be next for the Raiders, Ravens and Crosby following Tuesday’s news. Will Las Vegas’ free agency class blow up as a result of the nixed deal? Will the Dallas Cowboys pursue Crosby? [3 Takeaways From Maxx Crosby Trade Fallout: Where Do the Ravens, Raiders Go From Here?] Here’s what we learned: *** Several execs upset with Ravens: ‘You don’t do this’ Ralph Vacchiano: The Raiders’ terse statement made it clear that they were angry with the Ravens for backing out of the Crosby deal. The rest of the league sounded pretty angry with the Ravens, too. “Whatever they saw [in their medical exam] better be career-threatening, otherwise you don’t do this,” one NFL executive told me. “They knew something was wrong with his knee. He just had surgery to get it fixed. It really feels like they had some other reason for wanting out of this deal.” “Look, I don’t know what they saw, but he had surgery two months ago,” an NFL assistant general manager told me. “He wasn’t going to pass a physical. Did they not know about his knee? Everybody else did. “There’s got to be something else here. We all knew he probably wasn’t going to be ready until training camp. It really sounds like they just got scared and looked for any way out.” *** The Ravens wanted Crosby ‘desperately’ Eric D. Williams: The Ravens had agreed to pass along two first-round picks to the Raiders in return for Crosby, including the 14th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It marked the first time Baltimore relinquished a first-round selection for a player via trade in franchise history, so it was certainly excited to possibly land Crosby in a trade. However, less than 24 hours before the trade could become official at the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Ravens had informed the Raiders they were no longer doing the trade after Crosby failed his physical with the team in Baltimore on Tuesday. “It must have been a real serious long-term physical concern,” a league source told me. “The Ravens wanted him desperately. They hate this.” Crosby, 28, is still recovering from surgery to repair a full meniscus tear on his left knee performed by Los Angeles Rams team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Jan. 7. While the rehab process for a meniscus tear typically takes four to six months, Crosby’s agent downplayed concerns about the injury on Tuesday. “Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule, according to his surgeon Dr. Neal El Attrache,” Crosby’s agent, CJ LaBoy, wrote on X. “Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program and will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons.” Baltimore has backed out of much smaller deals in the past due to players who had issues with medical exams. The Ravens rescinded an agreement with Cowboys safety Brock Marion before he signed his deal because of an issue with his left shoulder in 1997. Two decades later, in 2018, the Ravens voided a four-year, $29 million contract with wide receiver Ryan Grant after he failed a physical because of an ankle injury. ***Will the Ravens be punished? Williams: The Ravens’ rescinding the deal has created a conundrum for the Raiders and the rest of the league. “Obviously, there are people out there saying they got buyer’s remorse,” a longtime NFL medical evaluator told me. “Maybe they looked at the marketplace, and they shouldn’t have given up two 1s. That’s an obvious one. And maybe a modification of that is two No. 1s is too high of a price for a guy who has this surgery.” Crosby and his salary reverting to Las Vegas puts the franchise in a tough situation after they negotiated contracts on the opening day of the legal negotiation period with eight new players for a projected $283.75 million in total compensation that will become official when the new year begins on Wednesday. The longtime NFL medical staff familiar with team physicals said the issue could have been avoided had the two teams agreed to have Crosby evaluated by a Ravens team doctor before the announcement of the trade. “[NFL commissioner Roger] Goodell is not going to investigate this,” the medical staff member told me. “The Ravens are legally right. The GMs can argue they’re morally in the wrong. “But what should have happened is when they were ready to consummate a trade, they should have said, ‘Look, we all know he had a meniscus repair. You’re saying he’s fine and showing us his medical records. But let’s not have us both have eggs on our faces. Either you have Maxx fly out here or will fly our team doctor out to see Maxx, and we’ll just dot our Is and cross our Ts before we make this announcement of the trade.’” *** One agent ‘worried’ about the Raiders Vacchiano: The Raiders spent a lot of money after they thought they had cleared Crosby off their books. And it’s believed they still have enough cap space to keep them all, even if Crosby is returned. But will they? And what about center Tyler Linderbaum, whom they lured from Baltimore with a record, three-year, $81 million contract? With Crosby off their books, will the Ravens suddenly find the money to up their offer and bring him back? With nothing official until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, one prominent NFL agent told me, “I’d imagine both those teams, and every team that was interested in those players, is taking another look at those deals.” “I’d be worried,” another agent told me. “It’s unlikely [any of them are rescinded], but this is unprecedented. And if you lose your deal and have to go crawling to other teams three days after the market opened, you’re not going to get close to what you got the first time.” The assistant general manager told me that the worries were unfounded, since the Raiders “probably” had the cap space for everybody and that the Ravens looked like they were just going in another direction. He thought the most likely scenario was the Ravens pivoting to free agent Trey Hendrickson, the best available pass rusher remaining in free agency. “That’s what I’d do,” he told me. “All the other good pass rushers are gone. Most of the good players are gone, too.” “The irony is there’s going to be a third team hurt by this,” the NFL executive told me. “Someone out there thought they were about to land Hendrickson, and the Ravens are going to screw them, too. Just watch.” *** Don’t expect the Cowboys to go after Crosby Vacchiano: As people around the league tried to figure out the Crosby mess, most were assuming the Raiders would have to try to trade him again. But to whom? And was there any chance a deal with the Ravens could be revived? “Sure, anything’s possible,” the NFL executive told me. “But the Ravens just made it clear that they’re not doing the deal for two first-round picks. Would they all of a sudden be less worried about Crosby’s knee for just one first-round pick instead? Like I said, anything is possible.” Finding another suitor could be difficult, too. The Dallas Cowboys were believed to be the runner-up in the initial trade talks, but they pivoted to a trade with Green Bay for Rashan Gary. And a Cowboys source told me they were unlikely to revisit a Crosby deal. [2026 NFL Free Agency: Predicting Landing Spots for 10 Best Remaining Players] As for other potential trade partners, like the Los Angeles Chargers or Washington Commanders, it probably depends on where Trey Hendrickson signs. “He’s in the driver’s seat now,” the executive told me. “He’s the last pass-rusher out there and he won’t cost any draft picks. At this point, a team would rather overspend on him than try to figure out what’s going on with Crosby’s knee. “But once Hendrickson signs, the losers for him are going to explore their options. That’s when the Raiders will see if there’s a market still there.”