Ravens president Sashi Brown addresses Maxx Crosby trade

“It’s unfortunate, but sometimes these things do happen – no fault of Maxx, ours or the Raiders,” Brown said (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “It’s just kind of how it played out.” 

The Ravens have drawn criticism for their handling of the situation, including a three-day gap between the teams agreeing to the deal and Crosby’s physical in Baltimore. By the time the Ravens informed the Raiders of their decision, two days of the legal tampering period had already passed. That impacted not just the two teams involved, but the other 30 who had made their free agency plans under the assumption that the trade would go through.

The Raiders had already committed significant sums to new signings, while the Ravens declined to re-sign their top pending free agents with the expectation of taking on Crosby’s sizable contract. Las Vegas was able to keep their existing commitments after the reversal, but Baltimore, of course, could not come calling after their former players who already had deals with other teams. Other teams like the Cowboys, who had expressed interest in Crosby, had already moved on to other options – in Dallas’ case, Rashan Gary.

The situation has highlighted the importance of physicals in processing any NFL transaction.

“This is not the first time it’s going to happen. It will not be the last,” Brown continued, noting that the Browns backed out of their agreement to sign A.J. Epenesa on Sunday. “It’s unfortunate and rare, especially in a high-profile case like this, but that’s why the processes are in place.”

Brown also acknowledged concerns that the situation would impact the Ravens’ standing with other teams.

“We’ve got strong and long relationships across the league,” he said. “We have emphasized the importance of doing things the right way. We’ll continue to do that.”