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Ravens stun NFL world by backing out of Maxx Crosby trade

The Maxx Crosby trade saga just took a turn for the ages.
ByAlicia de Artola|
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Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby
Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby | Ian Maule/GettyImages

Key Points

Bullet point summary by AI

  • The Baltimore Ravens were poised to acquire an elite edge rusher in a blockbuster deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • The trade, involving multiple first-round picks, has abruptly collapsed after a critical medical evaluation.
  • This stunning reversal reshapes the offseason landscape, reopening the market for several high-profile players and teams.

In a stunning turn of events that even the NFL script writers would have had a hard time making up, the Maxx Crosby-to-the-Ravens trade is off. The Las Vegas Raiders will not receive Baltimore's two first round picks. Crosby will not pass go.

To call this shocking would be an understatement. It's certainly the most unexpected piece of news this offseason. It's impact will be massive with new teams entering the fray to add Crosby. We always expect some crazy things to go down in the NFL, but having the most high-profile trade of the year go up in flames like this is beyond crazy.

Social media reacted accordingly with a slew of posts expressing shock, confusion and dismay.

How social media reacted to the Ravens canceling the Maxx Crosby trade

First, we've got to start with the Ravens fan who tweeted that he'd shave his head if his team traded for Crosby...because he followed through and posted a photo of the evidence 40 minutes before the Raiders announced the cancelation.

Poor Nate wins the award for Most Devasted By The Ravens Not Getting Maxx Crosby. Elsewhere on social media, there was a general state of flabbergastedness (Today I learned that's actually a word that exists and not something made up in my head out of an inability to correctly describe the state of NFL Twitter).

Media were scrambling to understand the implications of a canceled trade that involved multiple first round picks and an elite pass rusher like Crosby. This trade twist doesn't just impact the Raiders and Ravens. There are teams out there pursuing Trey Henderickson who might reevaluate their options with Crosby back on the market. There are free agents who could see their signings delayed as teams sort all this mess out. And there are teams that just slammed the phone receiver to their ear in a rush to get in a call to Las Vegas..

But of course, this is social media. So there were jokes. A lot of them. Rashan Gary even got brought into the story. He posted a goodbye to Green Bay, deleted it claiming he was hacked and then got traded to the Cowboys.

Why did the Ravens back out of the Maxx Crosby trade?

Dianna Russini reported that Crosby failed his medical, prompting the Ravens to cancel the trade. The pass rusher suffered an injury in October while playing for the Raiders. He landed on IR and had surgery to repair his meniscus in January. That surgery wasn't supposed to be a significant one. Whatever the Ravens doctors saw suggests otherwise.

Critically, the crumbling relationship between Crosby and the Raiders was accelerated by a dispute over that injury. Crosby wanted to play on his injured knee. The team shut him down even though he said he could play. This latest development supports the Raiders' decision. But being right about that one won't get them those two first-round draft picks back. The Maxx Crosby saga still has a way to go.

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