Ravens Wanted Both Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson

Contrary to conspiracy theorists, when the Baltimore Ravens first engaged in contract talks with fourth-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and his representatives during the NFL's legal tampering window, it was with the hopes of pairing him with five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby.

According to general manager Eric DeCosta, who spoke to the media following the aftermath of the blockbuster trade to acquire the Las Vegas Raiders star fell through, that was the original pivot plan after they got outbid in their attempt to retain three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum.

"We were trying to sign Tyler, obviously. We weren't able to get that done. [While] looking at the best ways for us to improve our football team, at some point we just said, 'You know what? This might be a guy [Hendrickson] that really fits us,'" DeCosta said.

"We've played against him twice a year for the last whatever many years, four or five years. And thought, 'Hey, maybe this is a way for us to get better as a football team.' So, that was definitely a possibility for us. Not to say that it would've happened, but definitely something that we had contemplated and discussed with Trey."

Since they already had funds reserved for Linderbaum, using them to try to pair Hendrickson with Crosby would've supercharged what was one of the inept and least productive pass rush units in the league last season with two of the most productive and potent edge presences in the league. The Ravens' 30 sacks as a team in 2025 were the third-fewest, and their pressure rate of 19% was the fifth-worst mark in the league.

Dating back to 2019, when Crosby entered the league, he has recorded the sixth-most sacks in the NFL with 69.5, while Hendrickson ranks third with 79. When expressing his disappointment for how everything ultimately fell through, DeCosta shared how the Ravens viewed Crosby as their "biggest foundational acquisition this year."

"We started some discussions with [Hendrickson] and his agent, thinking that potentially we'd have two pass rushers on the defensive line on both sides of the line," DeCosta said. "I think it was disappointing to us and probably in a way, potentially disappointing probably to Trey as well."

DeCosta refutes reports about fractured relationships

In the immediate aftermath of the Ravens' backing out of the Crosby trade, some NFL insider reported that this latest instance of them not following through on acquiring a player as a result of a failed physical could negatively impact their ability to do deals with other teams and player agencies moving forward, but that has yet to come to fruition.

"It hasn't stopped my phone from ringing; I'll tell you that," DeCosta said. "I think our relationship with agents and with other teams is really, really good... I think that GMs understand the importance of getting as much information as possible before making decisions, and I would say that most agents would say that myself, George [Kokinis], Nick [Matteo], Mark Azevedo, Ozzie [Newsome], Sashi [Brown] – everybody that works with agents – would say that we're a class organization that does business the right way, [are] respectful and [are] willing to get deals done."

From the outside looking in, DeCosta understands how someone without intimate knowledge and familiarity with the inner workings and customs of the Ravens organization as a whole from top to bottom might perceive the move back out of the Crosby trade and quickly pivot to signing Hendrickson as them getting cold feet or buyer's remorse about losing two first-round picks.

"We live in that age of skepticism, and people question [things], especially people that don't really know me or know the Ravens culture and the Ravens organization," DeCosta said. "So, I understand it. As I said at the beginning, we've got a responsibility – I've got a responsibility – to the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to [owner] Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club. And that's what we always try to do. Every decision we make is based on this idea, 'Is this the best thing for the Ravens?' [It's] very, very challenging."