$112million Maxx Crosby replacement admits disappointment as Raiders dispute Ravens injury claims

As the dust settled on Maxx Crosby’s failed trade to the Baltimore Ravens, Trey Hendrickson emerged from the shadows.

The most productive pass rusher available on this year’s free agent market was snapped up just two days after the team pulled out of a blockbuster agreement for the Las Vegas Raiders superstar.

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Many fans assumed the Ravens had turned to Hendrickson as a cheaper alternative to Crosby, who would have cost them two first-round draft picks.

The man himself, though, thought the pair would be playing together in what would have been the NFL‘s most dominant pass-rush defense.

Trey Hendrickson reveals disappointment over failed Maxx Crosby trade

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has previously claimed Hendrickson wasn’t a Plan B — and suggested that Plan A was trading for Crosby and signing Hendrickson.

That, apparently, was made clear to the free agent linebacker before he arrived in Baltimore on a four-year, $112 million contract.

“I was looking forward to rushing with him,” Hendrickson said of Crosby, during a recent appearance on Terron Armstead’s The Set podcast.

“Like, what an incredible opportunity that would have been to have a bookends like that terrorizing quarterbacks, getting running backs to the ground.

“That’s what got me excited.”

Instead of teaming up with Crosby, Hendrickson ended up representing a sort of consolation prize for the Ravens.

Baltimore pulled out of a trade with Las Vegas at the eleventh hour, citing concerns regarding the long-term health of the All-Pro defensive end.

Reasons for Maxx Crosby trade collapse disputed by Las Vegas

Some within the Raiders organization, though, have disputed those claims.

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In a piece published for ESPN last week, which offered a deep dive into how the Crosby trade fell apart, Raiders reporter Ryan McFadden revealed the player himself was ‘bewildered’ by the situation.

As were many within the Raiders franchise.

“Sources with the Raiders and those close to Crosby are skeptical that his medical state was the sole motive for the trade reversal, given the timing and that Baltimore had a full understanding of the injury before the trade,” McFadden wrote.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN that the Ravens also ‘had access to imaging and the doctors’ reports’ on the player.

McFadden added that Crosby’s knee was a concern discussed between the two teams before the trade, and that the speed of the Hendrickson signing after the nixed deal ‘created suspicion’ about whether his health was ‘truly the issue for Baltimore.’

Two days after the ESPN story was published, Raiders general manager John Spytek also addressed Crosby’s failed trade.

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“My relationship with Maxx since I’ve gotten here has been great,” he said, during an in-house interview with the team.

“We had a lot of conversations throughout the season, at the end of the season obviously, through the offseason and obviously we were presented with a difficult decision to make.

“Things have a way of going a certain way and working out the way they’re supposed to. We welcomed him like he never left, because he really never did.

“Excited to see him work hard and attack the rehab like we know. I know he’s going to be back ready to rock in August this year and have many good years ahead of him still.”

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The full context behind the shock trade collapse might never be publicly known, but one thing is certain — Crosby is still a Las Vegas Raider, and he’ll have a point to prove in 2026.

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