Raiders reportedly 'skeptical' about Ravens backing out of Maxx Crosby trade

Arguably the biggest story of the NFL offseason, to date, involves the Baltimore Ravens backing out of their agreement to acquire Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby for two first-round draft picks after Crosby failed a physical for reasons related to the meniscus repair he underwent on Jan. 7.

Much has been said and written about why the Ravens scrapped that deal before the new league year opened on March 11. It turns out individuals within the Raiders also have plenty of questions regarding what did and didn't transpire. 

Raiders not buying what Ravens tried to sell about Maxx Crosby? 

"Sources with the Raiders and those close to Crosby are skeptical that his medical state was the sole motive for the trade reversal, given the timing and that Baltimore had a full understanding of the injury before the trade," Ryan McFadden and other ESPN reporters shared for a lengthy piece published on Tuesday. 

One source told ESPN that the Ravens "had access to imaging and the doctors' reports on" Crosby's knee before his physical. 

NFL executives, general managers and others around the league previously offered similar takes about the Ravens' alleged concerns related to Crosby's knee. According to the ESPN piece, "multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation believed the Raiders and Crosby's representatives were transparent about the injury throughout the trade process and that Baltimore had done extensive research on Crosby's recovery and timeline during that time."

Not long after Crosby returned to Las Vegas following his failed physical, the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $112M contract that included $60M in fully guaranteed money and could be worth up to $120M with former Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. Some are convinced that trading for Crosby was a fallback option for Baltimore in the event that Hendrickson signed elsewhere, but Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he wanted to pair Crosby with Hendrickson. 

At least two executives from other teams who spoke with ESPN indicated they are "somewhat skeptical of" DeCosta's claims about the Crosby saga. For what it's worth, one source told ESPN that "the Ravens' concern centered on the uncertainty of Crosby's durability after a couple of seasons in Baltimore because of a degenerative issue in his knee." 

How have Raiders reacted behind the scenes to failed Maxx Crosby trade?

According to ESPN, Raiders general manager John Spytek and principal owner Mark Davis reacted with "surprise but not anger" after the Ravens made their final Crosby decision. 

"The move didn't dampen the mood of Davis and the rest of the organization," ESPN explained. 

As for Crosby's short-term future, he and the Raiders seem willing to continue their working relationship after he signed a three-year contract extension last offseason.

"Teams continue to check in on his availability, but as of now, the Raiders' asking price to trade Crosby's contract remains high," the ESPN piece added. "And given what has happened, teams are hesitant to meet it, a league source said. Multiple Raiders sources say they'd be surprised if Crosby was traded in the short term. Perhaps a window of opportunity opens closer to the draft, but the team is certainly keeping an open mind on retaining him."

For now, it sounds like Crosby will be on the Raiders roster when the 2026 season gets underway. Whether or not he will still be with what's been his only NFL employer since the 2019 draft at this time next year shall be seen.