“To Treat Any Player and Their Family In That Manner”: Ryan Clark Slams the Ravens For Disrespecting Maxx Crosby

The Baltimore Ravens are still receiving serious heat for backing off from the Maxx Crosby trade. And it’s not just because they nixed a trade that seemed like it was done and dusted, but also because they did it disrespectfully.

When the Ravens rescinded the Crosby trade, they cited a failed physical as the main issue. They pointed to his knee, which was surgically repaired for a torn meniscus in January. Every football fan knew about this, and it shouldn’t have stopped the Ravens from acquiring a talent like Crosby. 

Nevertheless, within 12 hours of the news that they rescinded the trade, the Ravens signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal. They essentially rejected Crosby and traded for a player of a similar caliber, while getting to keep their two first-round picks that were part of the deal with the Raiders. The slimy business move reportedly upset a lot of GMs around the NFL. 

However, the Ravens GM, Eric DeCosta, says that the trade debacle hasn’t affected business. “It hasn’t stopped my phone from ringing, I’ll tell you that,” DeCosta told Ravens reporters. 

It was somewhat of an arrogant response, and analyst Ryan Clark took issue with it. While slamming the Ravens, Clark said Crosby reached out to him recently to talk about the trade fiasco. The edge rusher told Clark he feels as though his injury and evaluation have been misrepresented. 

Crosby told Clark that he’s fine with everything now and is happy to be a Raider. But Clark thinks that DeCosta should’ve treated Crosby better for the short time he was a Raven. “When Maxx is in your care, he’s supposed to be taken care of in the way that he deserves and earns it,” said Clark.

“He’s supposed to get face time with the GM. Him and his family are supposed to be cared for. Like, at least, at this point, you are a Raven. And more importantly, he’s supposed to get transparency,” he added on The Pivot. 

Transparency was not what Crosby ended up receiving from the Ravens. He recorded emotional farewells to the Raiders on his social media after the initial meeting with his new team. Even some of the staffers conducting the physical told him that the deal was going to happen. When he found out that the trade was nixed, he was reportedly livid. 

Clark thinks that this lack of transparency could affect the vibe in the Ravens locker room moving forward. 

“If the Ravens were conducting business the way the rules allow, I have no problem with that. If they were dissatisfied with Maxx Crosby’s medical, that’s ok, but what’s not ok is to treat any player & their family in that manner,” tweeted Clark.

“I’m knowing as a Raven, these people ain’t moving right”

If the Ravens were conducting business the way the rules allow I have no problem with that. If they were dissatisfied with @CrosbyMaxx’s medical that’s ok, but what’s not ok is to treat any player & their family in that… pic.twitter.com/llUtKddxaT

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) March 20, 2026

“If I’m sitting in that locker room, I’m knowing as a Raven, these people ain’t moving right… They will be very wary of how Eric DeCosta moves, and how Jesse Minter is moving going forward,” Clark added.

The Ravens are entering a new era after parting ways with John Harbaugh. It will be interesting to track how this new leadership will treat the players.

Clark is understandably upset with the Ravens for how they handled the Crosby trade. We rarely see trades rescinded because of a failed physical, especially when they’re for players of Crosby’s caliber.

It seems like Baltimore got cold feet after seeing the public reaction to the trade and decided to sign Hendrickson while keeping their picks. DeCosta is trying to play it off as something else entirely, though.

But everyone knew about Crosby’s knee issue before he arrived in Baltimore. Give us a break, Eric.