Ahead of the start of NFL free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders chose to make a bold move by agreeing to trade superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, which, by all accounts, seemed to be the right move by both storied NFL franchises.
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, the Ravens backed out of the deal before the start of free agency on Wednesday, which was a shocking development, to say the least, especially with Baltimore agreeing to a free agent deal with former Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson in the aftermath, while leaving the Raiders in an awkward position.
Raiders Will Honor Deals Made With Free Agents
GettyGeneral manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders
Before this trade fiasco with the Ravens, the Raiders were arguably winning the NFL offseason, making solid moves after solid moves in free agency, with their best signing being the addition of star center Tyler Linderbaum.
However, with the Crosby trade falling apart at the last minute, there have been questions about whether that will impact the contracts agreed to.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Raiders’ brass plan to honor those agreements, while keeping their options open regarding Crosby’s immediate future.
All options remain in play with Maxx Crosby. Vegas is certainly very open to keeping him.
“The Raiders will honor all the agreements they made with free agents—both their own and the incoming guys—over the last 48 hours, despite the stunning developments of last night,” Breer wrote. “All options remain in play with Maxx Crosby. Vegas is certainly very open to keeping him.
“All this is difficult for everyone. The Raiders will work through different scenarios—some teams called last night, but Vegas isn’t going to trade Crosby on a discount. And keeping him with a revamped crew around him isn’t the worst idea in the world.”
With the Raiders set to keep agreements in place with incoming free agents as well as players re-signed, the attention turns to Crosby and whether he’ll get traded again, as the phones in Las Vegas are likely ringing off the hook at the moment.
Maxx Crosby Breaks Silence Amid Trade Fiasco
GettyMaxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders
Once it became official that Crosby would be traded to the Ravens after spending his entire NFL career with the Raiders and embracing the culture in Oakland and Las Vegas, the perennial Pro Bowler sent out a farewell message to Raiders fans and the organization.
Now, things are awkward on another level with Crosby still with the team that drafted him back in 2019 out of Eastern Michigan.
Despite the odd situation and having his world turned upside down multiple times, Crosby seems calm, cool and collected as he celebrated his sobriety on Wednesday, even though he’s facing an uncertain future.
6 Years Sober.
God Doesn’t Make Mistakes. 🦅💎
With Crosby having a love for the Raiders franchise and the team’s avid fans, there’s a chance he’s content to stay in Las Vegas rather than angling to be moved again.
However, it remains to be seen what the Raiders’ plans are moving forward, as the team’s brass was likely looking forward to using the two first-round picks they were getting from the deal with the Ravens to help rebuild the franchise.
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