Ravens' Sashi Brown Downplays Negative Fallout From Maxx Crosby Debacle

The Baltimore Ravens have received more than their fair share of criticism for not following through with the reported blockbuster trade to acquire five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby in exchange for their next two first-round picks then proceeding to sign Trey Hendrickson in free agency.

In the immediate aftermath of the deal falling through before it could become official due to a failed physical, they were being lambasted in the national media, with anonymous general managers and other high-ranking executives using insiders as their mouthpiece to voice their disdain for what they believed was a move made in bad faith.

While the public backlash has begun to wane somewhat, it remains quite loud. When asked if he was concerned about how the entire perceived debacle could impact the organization's reputation after its integrity had been questioned, Ravens team president Sashi Brown told reporters at the annual league meeting that he doesn't anticipate it affecting their business dealings with agents and other front offices around the NFL.

“I think it's a slow news cycle,” Brown said with a smirk. “I don't want to at all downplay the experience that Max had coming, that we all had, Raiders, Ravens, Max our locker room, as Eric said, we were incredibly excited, and just as equally, if not more, disappointed that we weren't able to pull off that transaction and bring max to Baltimore."

The Ravens remain confident that their strong and longstanding relationships across the league will continue to flourish and not wilt because of their emphasis on "the importance of doing things the right way."

"We'll continue to do that, and we understand that it is a headline story because of its profile and significance. We believe in our relationships to the extent that you need time to repair them, people understand who we are and what we're about. Our locker room understands that as well. But when you have high profile transactions like this and opportunities like this, it's unfortunate that sometimes these things do happen. No fault of Max, certainly ours or the Raiders. It's just kind of where it played out.”

Instead of deflecting any further inquiries into the matter, Brown was straightforward in his understanding of the need to report on such a high-profile prospective deal involving a player of Crosby's caliber, but maintained the stance that they would continue to act in the best interest of all parties.

“We're going to trust ourselves and have a ton of respect for Max and treat all this with the right privacy and respect and dignity that deserves,” Brown said.

Ravens don't believe changes need to be made to league policies

Feb 9, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at the Super Bowl LX host committee handoff press conference at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While they were accused of having cold feet and leaving both Crosby and the Raiders at the altar and pivoting, many pundits have pondered whether the league office should alter its practices to ensure that unfortunate circumstances such as these don't happen again.

However, the Ravens are thankful for the way that the process is currently operating, with no trades being able to be made official until the new league year officially begins and physicals are passed according to each individual team's standards.

“I think this is how it should be handled. I mean, I really do,” Brown said. “We're not aiming for that result but when you have a high stakes transaction like that, everybody needs to have [and] understand kind of what conditions you're moving forward on. And I won't say much more than that, but we understand and again we're disappointed and go through but we move on to the next opportunity.”

In the weeks since the Ravens backed out of the deal to trade for Crosby, the Cleveland Browns recently opted not to go through with their agreed-upon contract with veteran edge defender A.J. Epenesa due to a failed physical. While this didn't garner the same amount of national attention because it doesn't involve a higher-profile player or premium draft capital, it's still another example of how the current process works to protect the team's best interest.

"This is not the first time it's going to happen [and] it will not be the last," Brown said. "I think everybody wants to be prudent throughout processes, and it's unfortunate and rare, especially in a high profile case like this, but that's why the processes are in place.”

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