The Las Vegas Raiders just can't catch a break.
Young general manager John Spytek was finally putting the pieces together to build something special in Las Vegas. The Raiders had the No. 1 pick in the draft and tons of money to spend on the open market, and they got a grand return in a trade for Maxx Crosby.
But just as the gears were in motion for Las Vegas to turn this thing around and make good on the insane amount of resources that they had, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta pulled the rug out from under Spytek and the Raiders.
Hours before the deal was officially processed, the Ravens backed out of the previously agreed-upon trade. Now, for the time being, Crosby is a Raider again, and Baltimore has its salary cap space and pair of first-round picks back. But Ian Rapoport isn't sure where things go from here.
Ian Rapoport didn't exactly help with his evaluation on Maxx Crosby's Raiders future
Rapoport spoke on NFL Network about the chaos that is now the Maxx Crosby situation, and while he noted that something of this nature is not necessarily unprecedented, it is incredibly rare and muddies the waters on Crosby's future with the team.
"It is not unprecedented. It is incredibly, incredibly rare," Rapoport clarified. "And for Crosby, who was so happy to be a Raven, who was so out on the Las Vegas Raiders, this is an absolutely dramatic, dramatic outcome. And really, we don't know whether Crosby will remain a member of the Raiders moving forward."
Las Vegas has several options. Based on current salary cap projections, they could theoretically keep Crosby and pair him with the defenders they just acquired in free agency. That wouldn't leave them with much money to sign anyone else, however.
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The Raiders could pull a DeCosta and back out of their agreed terms with a free agent or two to accommodate Crosby's contract, or they could simply find another trade partner for him. The price won't be as premium as the one that the Ravens paid, but it'd be something.
Crosby's relationship with the Silver and Black is severed. He requested a trade in private, and that news has now come to light. You can't put the toothpaste back into the tube here. So DeCosta and the Ravens have left the Raiders in an unenviable situation.
If Rapoport doesn't know what the future holds, then nobody does. In fact, neither Las Vegas nor Baltimore probably does. This situation remains in limbo, thanks to DeCosta's bad-faith deal and his having buyer's remorse.