Why Ravens may have had legitimate reasons to back out of trade for Raiders' Maxx Crosby

General managers, executives and other members of the NFL community have blasted Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta for backing out of the agreement to acquire Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby for two first-round draft picks after Crosby reportedly did not pass his physical. 

Many have said that they believe DeCosta simply got "cold feet" at the last minute about spending those draft assets on a 28-year-old who needed a meniscus repair following the 2025 season. During a Wednesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," well-known NFL doctor David J. Chao suggested DeCosta may have had legitimate reasons to scrap the trade. 

What Ravens may have considered before backing out of Maxx Crosby trade

"I don’t think anyone’s saying Maxx Crosby can’t play football this fall," Chao explained, per Chris Franklin of NJ.com. "I think what the Ravens are saying is we’re worried about our long-term investment in terms of what we might get based on what we’re now seeing with the knee."

The Ravens subsequently agreed to a four-year, $112M contract that could be worth up to $120M with Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. On Wednesday, DeCosta insisted he was "disappointed" the Crosby deal did not go through, as planned. 

What was "biggest problem" with Ravens' evaluation of Maxx Crosby?

For an article published early Thursday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated touched upon "the biggest problem" the Ravens likely had with making the trade for Crosby official. 

"My sense is it comes down to the question of longevity," Breer wrote. "A meniscus injury can be a difficult one for an older player to come back from, and carries a high risk of arthritis down the line. The issue for Crosby was never going to be whether or not he could play this year — he’s expected to be cleared in June or early July. It was whether or not the injury could shorten his career. Say, then, that the doctors told DeCosta that Crosby’s knee might be a real problem in just a year or two. At that point, it’d be tough for anyone to sign off on trading two first-round picks for him..."

Breer's points likely won't silence those who think the Ravens hung the Raiders out to dry with the handling of this situation. For what it's worth, the Raiders could have taken steps to ensure the Ravens felt better about Crosby's knee before word of the trade was allowed to leak this past Friday.