Ravens nix trade for Raiders' Maxx
Crosby after star pass rusher fails his physical, AP source says
[March 11, 2026]
By MARK ANDERSON, NOAH TRISTER and ROB MAADDI
The blockbuster trade sending star pash rusher Maxx Crosby to the
Baltimore Ravens is off — and the fallout from that reversal could
have a ripple effect throughout the NFL on the eve of the new league
year.
The Las Vegas Raiders said Tuesday night that Baltimore backed out
of the trade that was supposed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two
first-round draft picks. The deal was agreed to last Friday but
couldn’t be finalized until Wednesday.
A person with knowledge of Baltimore’s decision told The Associated
Press that Crosby failed his physical. The person spoke on condition
of anonymity because those results are private.
Crosby underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his
left knee. He missed the final two games of the season because of
the injury despite wanting to play through it at the time.
Crosby said on a recent appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”
that he was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab.
One of his agents, CJ LaBoy, posted on social media Tuesday night
that Crosby is recovering well under the care of noted orthopedist
Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is
ahead of schedule according to his surgeon,” LaBoy posted. “Maxx
remains on track to return during the offseason program & will
undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these
past 7 seasons.”
Crosby's addition was supposed to help lift the Ravens over the top,
with the draft picks expected to be part of a rebuilding effort for
the Raiders. The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks and a career-high
28 tackles for loss last season, and has reached double-digit sacks
four times in his seven seasons.
Trading even one first-round pick for a veteran was out of character
for Baltimore, which has taken drastic measures to try to recover
from last season's 8-9 showing. The Ravens fired coach John Harbaugh
after 18 seasons and then were prepared to give up a lot for Crosby.
His expected addition made Monday — when Baltimore lost several free
agents to new agreements elsewhere — a bit easier for Ravens fans to
bear.
Tyler Linderbaum, a Pro Bowl center for Baltimore, agreed to a
contract with the Raiders. Tight end Isaiah Likely, punter Jordan
Stout and safety Ar'Darius Washington reached deals to follow
Harbaugh to the New York Giants. There were other departures too,
such as pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones — seemingly expendable with
Crosby on his way.
Baltimore has a first-year coach in Jesse Minter and is in a win-now
mode with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Crosby would have
been a significant boost for a defense that finished tied for 28th
in the league in sacks with only 30 last season.
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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) looks on during the
first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Dec.
21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker, File)
Now, the Ravens will presumably shift course. Edge
rusher Trey Hendrickson is still available, although he had his own
injuries that limited him to seven games last season. Baltimore also
had been hoping to sign Jackson to an extension before the new
league year.
The Raiders, meanwhile, own the No. 1 pick in the
draft and are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando
Mendoza. Las Vegas has been extremely aggressive at the start of
free agency, agreeing to deals with several new players and agreeing
to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets, according to
several people familiar with the moves who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the deals can’t be finalized until Wednesday.
The biggest move the Raiders made was agreeing to a deal with
Linderbaum, a three-time Pro Bowler. He gets a three-year, $81
million contract with $60 million guaranteed to leave Baltimore and
join Las Vegas.
That was one of a number of moves the Raiders made on Monday. They
were the NFL’s busiest team in agreeing to contracts with free
agents and their own players.
Because they entered free agency with nearly $112 million in salary
cap space, according to overthecap.com, Raiders general manager John
Spytek has room to continue to be aggressive with or without
Crosby’s cap hit. He signed a three-year extension a year ago worth
$106.5 million, with $91.5 million guaranteed, that briefly made him
the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
Where the Raiders go from here remains to be seen. It's unlikely
they can bring back Crosby given the enmity between him and the
organization. He wasn't happy about going through another rebuild
and was especially upset after the club sidelined him with two games
to go last season.
If the Raiders shop him again — which they probably will be forced
to try — getting the same kind of offer the Ravens made likely would
be difficult at best.
Clubs also might be hesitant to be aggressive in pursuing someone
with Crosby's injury history even if his production has remained at
a high level when he's been on the field.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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