Ravens' Trey Hendrickson makes Super Bowl goal clear, addresses almost teaming with Maxx Crosby

Baltimore Ravens pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson likely isn't losing any sleep over the situation that involved his new employer backing out of a deal that would have involved sending two first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive star Maxx Crosby.

Instead, the former New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end had other things on his mind while speaking with reporters at his Ravens introductory news conference on Friday. 

Trey Hendrickson happy to sign with "win-now" Ravens

"I’m in a win-now window," Hendrickson explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "My career has been phenomenal, and I’ve been so blessed to meet great people and win a lot of games with Drew Brees and Joe Burrow. But this opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, get into the win column, and build something from the ground up is an amazing opportunity." 

The Bengals reportedly had no interest "in the 2026 value of Hendrickson" before he and the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $112M contract that includes $60M in fully guaranteed money. Across his five seasons with the Bengals, the 31-year-old played in a Super Bowl loss and in seven total playoff games. However, his most recent postseason appearance occurred in January 2023. 

"The standard is high here, and I’m excited for that challenge," Hendrickson added about the Ravens. "Incredible defense, incredible people, and looking forward to this season."

What could have been with Trey Hendrickson, Maxx Crosby

Earlier in the week, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta insisted that his plan was to acquire both Hendrickson and Crosby before Crosby failed his physical due to reasons related to a meniscus repair he needed earlier this winter. Many noteworthy members of the NFL community have made it known they aren't buying what DeCosta tried to sell, but Hendrickson hinted that he was led to believe he could have had Crosby as a teammate in Baltimore: