The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of their trade agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby because of a failed physical.
The deal, which was set to become official at the start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday, would have sent Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for two first-round picks.
Crosby is recovering from a torn meniscus that required surgery in January. The defensive standout, who has spent all seven seasons of his career with the Raiders, was shut down for the final two weeks of the 2025 season, a development that clearly frustrated him.
Dr. David Chao, known as Pro Football Doc, explained why the Ravens are within their rights to back out of the trade after a failed physical.
“You can’t back out and say, ‘We don’t like the trade anymore. We don’t think Maxx Crosby is worth this.’ The only way you can back out is a failed physical,” Chao said.
“I have the distinct advantage of having been on the other side of this, so that is why I can explain it to you,” he added. “Backed out? Yeah, they backed out because of a failed physical. What else is there? You can’t back out because you regret the trade. You can’t back out of escrow on buying a home because, ‘I don’t like the color of the paint anymore,’ but you can back out by saying the paint is peeling. The bottom line is, he doesn’t pass a physical today, so the commissioner is going to do nothing about this, and the Ravens are within their rights to renege at that price.”
During Monday's Pro Football Doc Podcast, Dr. Chao said Crosby would likely not pass a physical right now. However, he could still be projected to be healthy for the regular season, depending on how a team interprets the physical.
“Passing or not passing a physical is dependent on the team,” Chao said. “They can say, ‘We understand he’s got an issue, but we’re going to pass him on the physical,’ or they could be sticklers.”
Chao also said he was surprised the issue was not fully addressed before the trade reached this stage.
Crosby had been expected to give the Ravens a major boost on defense, but the failed physical halted the blockbuster deal before it could be finalized.
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