Raiders drama continues as Ravens back out of Maxx Crosby trade

It’s not the Raiders unless there is drama.

But even by their standards, what happened on Tuesday resets the bar.

In a stunning turn of events, the Ravens are nixing the trade they made with the Raiders for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

The about-face occurred just hours before the deal was to become official.

The trade was agreed upon on Friday, but could not be officially announced or completed until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

“The Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the Raiders said in a statement Tuesday. “We will have no further comment at this time.”

According to a source familiar with the situation, the Ravens reversed course after Crosby failed his physical earlier on Tuesday.

Crosby was shut down for the last two games of last season and recently underwent knee surgery, so his health status was always in question. Nevertheless, not passing the physical is a shocking development.

By negating the agreement, the Ravens nullify the two first-round picks they surrendered to the Raiders for the 28-year-old Crosby.

The Raiders, meanwhile, are back at square one with their defensive end, who had requested a trade over misgivings with how the Raiders handled the end of his season last year, and the prospects of yet another organization rebuild around soon-to-be quarterback Fernando Mendoza and coach Klint Kubiak.

It also throws their blazing start to free agency into question, which included entering into agreements with multiple players on contracts worth $281.5 million.

The Raiders have agreements in place with Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum (three years, $81 million deal and $60 million guaranteed), Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor (three years $35 million deal and $23 million guaranteed) linebackers Quay Walker (three years, $40.5 million and $28 million) and Nakobe Dean (three years $36 million and $20 million guaranteed), and defensive end Kwity Paye for three years, $48 million and $32 million guaranteed.

They also resigned defensive end Malcolm Koonce for one year, $11 million, and cornerback Eric Stokes for three years and $30 million and traded for Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, who will make $8.6 million in 2026.

All of those agreements were set to become official on Wednesday.

But can the Raiders still accommodate them, with Crosby’s $35.791 million cap number back on the books? Or will this change how they go about making the new deals official?

“I mean, it probably shouldn’t, given their cap space,” said an NFL executive with another team.

Said another league source: “Oh yeah. Plenty of cap space.”

If so, the Raiders team Crosby returns to is far different than the one he briefly left. And with him, they are vastly improved. At least on paper.

But is it enough to make him rethink his trade request?

Even if he’s still unhappy, his health status was enough of a red flag for the Ravens to nullify the trade. Who is to say any other team steps up with a viable offer anywhere near the two first-round picks the Ravens were willing to surrender?

The Bears, Eagles, and Cowboys were among the teams that were in the hunt for Crosby. Theoretically, they could jump back into the chase.

It made for a wild day on Tuesday. And it sets the stage for an interesting next few weeks as emotions subside and all parties reassess things.

Sure, those extra picks are appealing.

But considering all the improvements the Raiders made over the last 72 hours, they might just be better off holding onto one of the most dominant pass rushers in the game.

And he might take a different look at his beloved Raiders, and decide he wants to stay right where he is in Las Vegas.

Raiders drama, indeed.

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