Ravens back out of blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby, Raiders say

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun on Mar 10, 2026

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — The Ravens’ blockbuster trade for Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby is stunningly off.

Baltimore backed out of the deal, according to Las Vegas, which announced the news in a statement Tuesday evening. “We will have no further comment at this time,” the statement also read.

Crosby, who turns 29 in August, reportedly failed his physical. All trades require players involved to pass a physical before becoming official.

“Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon Dr Neal El Attrache,” Crosby’s agent C.J. LaBoy said in a statement he posted on X. “Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons.”

The Ravens did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Crosby had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Raiders also shut him down for the final two games this past season, leaving him frustrated.

The news of the deal falling apart comes after Baltimore on Friday night had agreed to trade this year’s first-round draft pick (14th overall) and next year’s first-round pick in exchange for the five-time Pro Bowl selection. While trades can be agreed upon, they can’t be finalized until the beginning of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The deal was also historic for the Ravens, who had never traded a first-round draft pick in the organization’s 31-year history, never mind two, for a veteran player. They outbid the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, among others. Now, the Ravens are left with a major hole on defense. It’s one of many after Baltimore lost eight players in free agency — including Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to Las Vegas — during the first two days of the league’s legal tampering period, which began Monday afternoon, while only signing one player (guard John Simpson).

Crosby had also been in Baltimore the past two days, with both sides anticipating the deal being consummated less than 24 hours before the shocking announcement.

Instead, the Ravens will keep their two first-round draft picks. Crosby will go back to the Raiders, who will, for the time being, keep their disgruntled star while likely exploring other options after going on a free-agent spending spree with deals totaling over $281 million in total contract value, which included a market redefining three-year, $81 million deal for Linderbaum and a three-year, $35 million pact for wide receiver Jalen Nailor.

Baltimore, meanwhile, has to try to figure out how to recover from the disarray.

Crosby is one of the game’s elite pass rushers and was expected to fill one of the Ravens’ biggest needs. He has 69 1/2 sacks across six seasons, with at least 10 in four of them, including last season. That was twice as many as Ravens leader defensive tackle Travis Jones had last year. Baltimore’s 30 sacks also tied for the third-fewest in the NFL, with the defense likewise near the bottom in pressure rate and pass-rush win rate.

Crosby hit double digits in sacks despite his lingering knee issue and finished with 73 tackles, two forced fumbles, six pass breakups and his first career interception. A stout run defender, his 28 tackles for loss also ranked second behind only NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and he has twice led the league in the category.

One league source, however, was surprised that Baltimore would surrender two first-round picks for “damaged goods,” though the source said that another team could potentially work out a deal for Crosby for less.

What happens next remains to be seen, though. With Crosby unlikely to be medically cleared by Wednesday, he probably won’t be traded until much later in the offseason if the Raiders choose to do so. Crosby has four years and $115.8 million remaining on his current contract, which runs through 2029, and carries a salary-cap hit of just over $30 million for 2026.

It is also not the first time that a failed physical has scuttled a deal for the Ravens. In 2018, they agreed to terms with free agent wide receiver Ryan Grant, who failed his physical because of an ankle injury, and the deal was voided. The same scenario unfolded with defensive lineman Michael Brockers in 2020.

Likewise, in March 1997, free agent safety Brock Marion failed his physical with the Ravens because of a shoulder injury he suffered with the Dallas Cowboys the previous season, voiding the agreement. He re-signed with the Cowboys and filed against the Ravens.

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