One of the biggest headlines from this free agency period, which has still only just begun, came when the Baltimore Ravens decided to meet the Las Vegas Raiders’ demands of sending two first-round picks in exchange for one of the league’s most prolific pass rushers, Maxx Crosby.
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Everyone from the fan base to the quarterback of the Ravens themselves, Lamar Jackson, was rightfully excited by the news, but things have unfortunately taken a turn for the worse. The Raiders announced that Baltimore has “backed out” of the trade agreement and that they would be offering no further comments at this time.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) March 11, 2026
The announcement has left many confused, with reports of a failed physical being the reason for the Ravens’ withdrawal. According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, “This is something that you do not see at this level of a trade.”
“The trade fell through following a medical evaluation of Maxx Crosby. He posted on Instagram that he was in Baltimore. So, one can take from that and assume that the Baltimore doctors were able to check on him,” he stated. The insider went on to add how the Ravens must have felt about the injury. “We know that he dealt with a meniscus injury… All trades are contingent upon the team that is trading for the player feeling good enough about the medical evaluation. Clearly, the Ravens do not feel good enough about the medical evaluation.”
Jones also noted that Crosby was routinely struggling with his aforementioned injury during practice sessions throughout the majority of the season. This is effectively why the team shut him down for the final two games of the 2025 regular season.
In the eyes of the network’s leading NFL insider, had the injury been “just a knee thing or just an ankle thing,” the trade would have likely gone through. Seeing as it didn’t, however, that could suggest that there are much greater concerns about Crosby’s long-term health.
Although it is important to remember that Baltimore may have rendered nothing more than a “medical opinion,” which is just that, an opinion. “That’s not to say that 30 other teams would hold the same opinion as what the Baltimore Ravens clearly believe,” Jones clarified.
For better or worse, the Ravens will have their draft picks returned to them, while Crosby will be returned to the Raiders. Of course, that doesn’t inherently mean that the five-time Pro Bowler is now stuck in Las Vegas either.
Even though the Ravens were well within their right to withdraw from a trade that they were no longer hip to, Jones also felt the need to assert that “It’s impossible to think that Maxx Crosby is going to be a Las Vegas Raider in 2026,” suggesting that yet another blockbuster trade is just around the corner for Crosby and his current franchise.
