Maxx Crosby's Failed Ravens Physical Raises Communication Questions

The Baltimore Ravens' weekend choice to deal for star Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby made for arguably their biggest trade in franchise history, the first player they'd ever given up multiple first-round picks for, was called off to the shock of the rest of the NFL world.

Since then, it's been widely reported that though the Ravens understood that Crosby still had a long way to go before making a full recovery from the meniscus tear he suffered last season, they ultimately got "cold feet" at the prospect of taking on a player with growing longevity issues at the massive price they gave up for them.

The Raiders weren't slow to draw the first punch, breaking the news of the nulled transaction themselves and framing the broken agreement as the Ravens having simply "backed out" without further comment. And Baltimore's medical staff, reasonably unwilling to air out their findings, haven't yet made public what led to their decision-making mere hours before Crosby's move became official.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer tried making sense of the commotion, and he sees the miscommunication having come down to one major question worth asking.

"What did the Ravens discover during the physical, or in the imaging they did themselves, that wasn’t in the information the Raiders passed along to them during the normal course of the trade?"

Parsing Through the Details

Crosby's camp, to the surprise of few, has never given any indication that the pass-rusher is behind schedule amidst his return to action, with his agent himself taking to X to defend the ongoing process.

“Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon Dr Neal [ElAttrache]," agent CJ LaBoy posted shortly after the broken news. "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."

Las Vegas Raiders Defensive End Maxx Crosby — Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) looks on against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

But again, we don't know whether the team of consulted medics found anything beyond the knee damage that prematurely ended Crosby's 2025 campaign, or whether coming face-to-face with the wear-and-tear made them queasy.

Breer points out that a pass-fail medical exam takes into account a player's value, indicating that the pair of upcoming first-round picks played a role in Baltimore's evaluation.

"Players are given a score from the doctor, and that score is adjusted based on the level of investment the team must make to acquire the player. Were Crosby coming in, for argument’s sake, for a seventh-round pick, he’d likely have passed the physical, because there would have been less risk than there was with the Ravens giving up two first-rounders to acquire him."

Expect these two franchises to remain near the forefront of free agency and the remainder of the offseason, as the Raiders reckon with managing their returned and damaged star while the Ravens attempt to clean up the mess they've made. They quickly bounced back by nabbing Trey Hendrickson, a similarly-destructive edge rusher, without compromising their draft capital, but they can't stop making moves now following Lamar Jackson's contract restructure and all of the losses they'd already suffered to start free agency's open.

While both organizations still have a bit of explaining to do, don't expect many more answers than what's already been granted. These two teams were clearly not on the same page, and the result of Crosby's return-to-sender will continue sending shockwaves through the offseason and years to come.

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