There is seemingly never a dull moment for the Las Vegas Raiders or their fanbase. While the Maxx Crosby trade saga finally seemed to come to an end on Friday, nothing is ever that simple in Raider Nation.
Instead, the five-time Pro Bowler is back in Las Vegas for the time being as the Baltimore Ravens backed out of an agreed-upon deal that would've landed the Raiders the No. 14 overall pick and a first-round pick in next year's draft. While Baltimore has not shared an official reason for pulling out of the deal, multiple sources have reported that Crosby failed his physical with the team.
Of course, that was to be expected, as it is well-known that the superstar is still recovering from knee surgery. There has been plenty of speculation that the deal getting cancelled could be more related to the Ravens having buyer's remorse rather than Crosby's injury.
Former Raiders linebacker and now major Barstool Sports personality Will Compton noted that it wouldn't be the first time Baltimore has done exactly that.
Raiders' cancelled Maxx Crosby trade isn't the first time the Ravens have done something similar
It is extremely rare for a team to back out of acquiring a player as talented as Crosby. Especially when the magnitude of the trade and all the resources involved are accounted for. Furthermore, his injury issues were well-documented before the two sides agreed to the blockbuster trade.
That has led to speculation that the Ravens could be looking to sign Trey Hendrickson and keep their draft picks. Compton weighed in on the situation, comparing it to when Baltimore backed out of a deal with his former teammate Ryan Grant to sign former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
"Ravens in 2018:
Sign Ryan Grant to big deal
Michael Crabtree becomes available
Fail Ryan Grant’s physical
Get out of deal
Sign Crabtree
Ravens in 2026:
Huge trade for Maxx Crosby
Trey Hendrickson becomes available
Fail Maxx Crosby’s physical
Get out of deal with Raiders (We’ll see what happens)
***Ryan Grant hadn’t missed a game his entire career when they “failed” his physical***"
Grant initially received a four-year, $29 million contract from the Ravens. Just days after freeing up that money, they gave Crabtree, who had just been released by the Raiders, a three-year, $21 million deal. Grant was forced to settle for a one-year, $5 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
Former NFL scout Greg Gabriel brought up a similar story of the team failing Roberto Garza's physical, only for him to sign with the Chicago Bears and have no issues.
"Years ago, when we signed Roberto Garza, he had originally signed with the Ravens and they flunked him on the medical. A couple days later we passed him and signed him. He had no issues when he was a Bear," Gabriel wrote.
RELATED: Dianna Russini just presented smoking gun for Ravens' bad-faith Maxx Crosby deal
Sports Illustrated's Ed Kracz noted that the Ravens pulled a bad-faith stunt with the Philadelphia Eagles as recently as last season by trading them Jaire Alexander, only for the cornerback to retire before ever playing a snap for the team.
"Remember, it was the Ravens Eric DeCosta who sold the #Eagles on Jaire Alexander being OK to acquire. Alexander retired shortly after being dealt," Kracz noted. "I don’t buy for a second what they’re selling on Crosby, especially now that they landed Hendrickson just hours later."
Of course, every team's doctors are going to view things differently. But Baltimore's history of failing players' physicals, especially when the opportunity presents itself to make a different move, as was the case when they landed Crabtree, will not do them any favors.
Everyone who pays any attention to football knew that Crosby was injured before the Raiders traded him.
In fact, that injury likely contributed to why he was even available in the first place, as he was reportedly angered by the decision to shut him down. It will be interesting to see what comes of the Ravens' decision to back out of the deal, and if Crosby will be moved to a new destination.
Another possible scenario is that Baltimore's free agent losses have made them reanalyze the situation and decide that they are not in a position to trade two first-round picks, even for a player as good as Crosby. For now, the superstar remains in Las Vegas.