On Tuesday, the NFL world was shocked by the news that the Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders had canceled their deal for Maxx Crosby. No deal is official until the start of the new league year, and nothing is official until Wednesday.
As fans and analysts reacted to the news, NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed why the Ravens decided not to make the trade official.
Maxx Crosby Reportedly Failed a Physical Before Completing Ravens Trade
Russini reported that Crosby, who was already in Baltimore, failed his physical with the team. With two first-round picks involved in the move, the Ravens decided against proceeding with the deal, and the Raiders framed it as a “back off” from Baltimore.
Crosby recently had knee surgery to address a mid-season injury. He was shut down for the final two games of the season, with the Raiders looking to confirm their status as the first-overall pick of the 2026 draft. Crosby’s relationship with the organization soured after the decision to sit him out for the final two games.
Maxx Crosby did not pass his physical today, per sources.
The Ravens get their first round picks back.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 11, 2026
This is a huge problem for the Raiders. With Crosby presumably off the market, other suitors already have deals in place for other EDGEs, and the market for his services will be much lower. Another key EDGE who’s available is Trey Hendrickson, but he’s a free agent, and teams can sign him without giving up any draft capital.
Las Vegas’ offseason was planned with the view that around $30 million would be cleared in their salary cap, with an extra first-round pick in the 2026 draft in mind. Now, it’s unclear if they’ll have the necessary cap space available to complete all the announced deals.
The Raiders completed one of the biggest deals in free agency by signing center Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million deal, resetting the market at the position. They also added Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Jalen Nailor, and Kwity Paye in separate deals, while Geno Smith was traded to the New York Jets in a swap of late-round picks.
PFSN’s NFL EDGE Impact Metric is bullish on Crosby. He was ranked No. 2 at the position in 2025, with an impressive grade of 95.3. Even though he’s a great player, his time in Las Vegas is done. The problem for the Raiders is that, with a failed physical made public, they’re unlikely to find a new deal involving multiple first-round picks.
