We’ve never really seen anything like what has played out with Maxx Crosby, the Ravens and the Raiders over the past few days. The two teams reportedly agreed to terms on a deal, with Crosby headed to Baltimore for two first-round picks. It was a much-needed boost to the Ravens’ pass rush, which was 28th in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate in 2025-26.

However, late last night, news broke that the Ravens were backing out of the deal.

It has since been reported that Crosby failed his physical with the Ravens, which is a required step in terms of completing a trade. That said, that didn’t come without a fair share of skepticism. NFL Insider Dianna Russini reported that the Ravens had all the relevant Crosby medical information before making the trade, and that was simply a way for the Ravens to back out of a trade they were starting to regret.

The fact that the Ravens were able to sign Trey Hendrickson to fill Crosby’s void on Wednesday only added fuel to that fire. Instead of having to trade away two first-round picks to add a premier pass-rusher, they did it with their salary cap space instead. While that may not be the best decision karmically, it’s hard to argue it isn’t a better use of assets.

So, where do we go from here? Let’s break down where the two teams stand at the moment.

Maxx Crosby Trade News Fallout: How Does This Impact The Ravens and Raiders?

How This Impacts The Ravens

The Ravens had been pretty quiet in free agency before agreeing to a deal with Hendrickson. They lost center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed a three-year, $81M deal with the Raiders, while they added guard John Simpson and brought back second-string quarterback Tyler Huntley.

On paper, Hendrickson is arguably an even better addition to the team than Crosby. He graded out as the No. 11 edge defender last season per PFF, compared to 15 for Crosby. He earned the sixth-best pass-rush grade at the position, while Crosby was merely 19th. Hendrickson had just four sacks in seven games last year for the Bengals, but he had 17.5 sacks in each of his previous two seasons.

That said, Hendrickson is not without question marks. He’ll turn 32 years old next season, and he suffered multiple ailments last season. It’s possible that he’s on the downside of his career.

Still, this is a gamble that the Ravens had to make. They had tons of cap space this offseason, with only the Commanders committing less to their top 51 guys before the start of free agency. The Ravens are still clearly in contention for a Super Bowl, and adding Hendrickson shored up one of their biggest weaknesses from last season.

Baltimore still has plenty of room to make more moves, and they’ll also be able to add another player with their first-round pick. It’s enough to make them one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl at this point. They’re available at +1100 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and only the Rams (+800) and Seahawks (+900) are available at lower figures.

How this Impacts the Raiders

I feel for Las Vegas. They’ve been a dysfunctional franchise at times, but they did absolutely nothing wrong in this situation. Now, they’re going to have to scramble.

The Raiders handed out money like it grew on trees during the “legal tampering” portion of free agency. In addition to Linderbaum’s record-setting contract, the Raiders also agreed to terms with the following players:

• EDGE Kwity Paye: 3 years, $48M ($32M guaranteed)
• LB Quay Walker: 3 years, $40.5M ($28M guaranteed)
• LB Nakobe Dean: 3 years, $36M ($20M guaranteed)
• WR Jalen Nailor: 3 years, $35M ($23M guaranteed)

Additionally, the team re-signed cornerback Eric Stokes (three years, $30M) and traded for cornerback Taron Johnson, so the Raiders were as aggressive as anyone during the early hours of free agency.

Now that Crosby and his $30M salary for 2026-27 are back on the books, it puts the Raiders in a bit of a precarious spot. Of course, none of those contracts have been officially signed yet, but backing out of deals can be a bad look for future negotiations.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that NFL Insider Albert Breer has reported that the Raiders plan on honoring all of their previously agreed-upon terms.

That leaves the Raiders sitting basically in the same spot that they were a week ago: looking to maximize the trade return for their franchise player. We know the Ravens aren’t going to be involved this time around, but the asking price has been set at two first-round picks. It remains to be seen whether or not another team will be willing to meet that demand.

Who's The Favorite To Land Maxx Crosby In A Trade Now?

The same teams that were rumored to be interested in Crosby before the Ravens swooped in should still be involved. However, there might not be as much interest after free agency has commenced. The Cowboys, in particular, are not really believed to be in the mix at this point after acquiring Rashan Gary from the Packers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.

That leaves the Bears and the Eagles as the two primary contenders. The Bears were considered favorites before the trade was first reported, and they could certainly resume negotiations at this point. The Raiders have indicated that they’re not going to trade Crosby at a discount, but it’s hard to believe that the Bears would consider moving two first-round picks after this debacle. Still, at least one person in Chicago appears all for bringing Crosby in:

Even though the Raiders have stated that they’re “willing” to keep Crosby for the upcoming season, all signs point towards him playing elsewhere in 2026-27. The Raiders are at the start of a potentially long rebuild, so cashing him in for whatever possible remains the team’s best long-term option.

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