The Baltimore Ravens backed out of a blockbuster trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for star defensive end Maxx Crosby after concerns surfaced during his physical, but the decision has drawn criticism from NFL insider Dianna Russini, who questioned the circumstances surrounding the failed deal.
Russini addressed the situation during an appearance Wednesday on The Dan Patrick Show, describing the sequence of events that unfolded as Crosby traveled to Baltimore to complete the trade.
“From what I gathered over the last 12 hours, we’ll call it 14 hours now, Maxx Crobsy was in Baltimore for a physical. The Baltimore Ravens had done their research, they’ve done their work on his medicals. All teams do that, in fact, other teams that were trying to trade for Maxx had conversations with his surgeon, had conversations with the Raiders’ doctors to basically try and get an idea where Maxx’s knee is at. So, Baltimore knew the exact timeline of where Maxx was at in terms of the return and rehab process and six months appeared to be kind of the timeline when he could be a full go.”
The proposed deal would have sent Crosby from Las Vegas to Baltimore in exchange for two first-round draft picks. According to the Raiders, the Ravens had agreed to send their No. 14 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft along with their 2027 first-round pick before the agreement collapsed Tuesday.
Russini said the atmosphere surrounding Crosby’s visit to Baltimore became unusual as the process progressed.
“When he went in for his physical, from what I've learned things seemed to be really off in the building all day – that something wasn’t right. And he had his physical, and the Ravens’ doctors looked at the MRI and they had four, five independent doctors look at it as well and together they made the decision that this trade was not worth it based on what they discovered in his knee.”
For now the plan is for Maxx Crosby to be a Raider for the upcoming 2026 season https://t.co/iW14Kv2vbN
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 11, 2026
Dianna Russini calls Ravens’ Maxx Crosby trade reversal ‘100% shadiness’
The decision raised questions across the league because teams that had explored trading for Crosby were reportedly aware of the same medical information. When asked on the show whether the Ravens may have experienced buyer’s remorse after agreeing to the terms, Russini strongly pushed back against the explanation that the physical alone caused the trade to fall apart.
“You’re not being cynical. This thing stinks… There’s 100% shadiness going down right now. And the reason why I say that so firmly is because I’ve had so many conversations with people around football who understand where Maxx is at with his knee. Nothing was surprising.”
Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher and one of the league’s most productive defensive players in recent seasons, remains under contract with the Raiders as the organization prepares for the 2026 campaign. Russini reiterated that point while sharing the interview on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“For now the plan is for Maxx Crosby to be a Raider for the upcoming 2026 season.”
The situation leaves one of the NFL’s most aggressive defensive stars still in Las Vegas while questions continue to circulate about why a trade that appeared close to completion ultimately collapsed.
