In the last 12 hours or so, the Baltimore Ravens have made two major decisions about their 2026 roster. Two moves that would prove pivotal not just for their future but also for their standing among teams and analysts.
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First, the Ravens backed out of the Maxx Crosby trade with the Raiders, and sent the star pass rusher back to Las Vegas after initially agreeing to give up two first-round picks for him. And before the dust could even settle on that Crosby move, with many analysts already calling the team out for it, the Ravens handed Trey Hendrickson a three-year deal worth $112 million.
The Hendrickson deal could go up to $120 million with incentives, bringing the former Bengals pass rusher to Baltimore. Of course, getting the experienced defensive end has its merits, but the move comes as a bit of a surprise.
Hendrickson did not attract much interest from other teams last season or this offseason. The Bengals even admitted they could not get a second-round pick for the 31-year-old last year. They received a measly fourth-rounder offer due to concerns about his age.
After a 2025 season that was both underwhelming and cut short by injury, those concerns only grew. Yet the Ravens pulled the trigger! Former NFL player-turned-analyst Emmanuel Acho had hinted at this direction a few hours before the Hendrickson deal was finalized.
According to Acho, the Ravens may have walked away from the Crosby trade just to snatch up a cheaper option… Someone like Hendrickson, he had hinted.
Acho was right. Baltimore has now landed Hendrickson while keeping the valuable draft capital (a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick) they would have had to send to Las Vegas had they gone with Crosby.
“Dirty,” Acho labeled the move by the Baltimore to reject Crosby. “Dirty by the Ravens,” he had reiterated.
“And the reason I think it’s dirty by the Ravens, I think it’s intentional. I think the Ravens have looked around and said, ‘Wait a second, Trey Hendrickson, you still on the street? No one is paying top dollar or secondary top dollar for you? Wait a second. We can get you, Trey Hendrickson, for significantly cheaper than Maxx Crosby and keep two first-round picks?” Acho had elaborated on his podcast, Speakeasy.
Like many other analysts, Acho pointed out that the Ravens’ claiming Crosby failed a physical to opt out of the trade was only an excuse. “Max… that knee that kept you out of the last two games of the season, yeah, yeah, that knee [is] bad. That knee [is] bad. It’s worse than we thought. Go back to the Ravens,” he added cheekily.
Acho then spoke about another free agent pass rusher, Odafe Oweh, whom the Ravens would have liked to sign. Why? The analyst said it’s because of the Jesse Minter connection, who is the newly appointed head coach of the Ravens. Minter coached Oweh last season in Los Angeles.
This reunion would have made sense. Just that, Oweh went on to sign a deal with the Commanders after the legal tampering period. And so, Acho had speculated that the Ravens decided to back out of the Crosby deal so that they could at least land Hendrickson before someone else.
“Odafe finished with 10 and a half sacks with Jesse Minter in seven games with the Chargers. So, Jesse Minter’s like, ‘I’m gonna get this 10 and a half sack dude for cheap.’ [But] Odafe Oweh goes to sign [a] 4-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Commanders,'” said Acho, before adding what the Ravens head coach must have been thinking,
“So now, Minter’s like, ‘Ah, hell. I had to give up two first-round picks for Max. I didn’t end up getting Odafe. Trey Hendrickson, you’re still on the street?” concluded Acho, who has hit the mark with his assessment since the Ravens did end up signing Hendrickson.
But the thing is, Baltimore had to pay an almost $28M AAV to acquire him, not the $15M-per-year figure Acho had projected.
Also, the Crosby situation might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Raiders, as Acho said. They are able to retain an elite pass rusher, which they would have to draft or invest heavily to find.
However, let’s wait a bit, too. Just to see if the pass rusher sticks around or gets traded to a team like the Cowboys. Even the Bears would be interested in him.
