Ravens reneged on a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby. Now, lingering health concerns and a looming trade question cloud his Las Vegas Raiders future.
The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to send pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for two first-round picks.
The Crosby trade rumors had circulated since December, and finally, the Raiders had found a trade partner.
But, in a stunning twist, the Ravens backed out of the trade agreement right before the new league year, and the next day, Baltimore signed pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year deal in a strange twist.
The Crosby-Ravens discourse has been quite the conversation, and a new report stated that Baltimore backed out due to a "degenerative issue" with Crosby's health.
Nonetheless, Crosby is back in the silver and black, and some reports state that the Raiders could keep Crosby, especially if they don't get the two-pick package they were hoping for.
NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha had some of the big questions remaining, and one of them was about Crosby's future.
"Now that a little bit of time has passed since the blockbuster trade that didn’t materialize with the Baltimore Ravens, it's worth wondering who else should make a run at acquiring Crosby," Chadiha wrote.
The biggest obstacle is that the medical issues will likely prevent other teams from trading two picks for Crosby, although there is no question the Raiders star is worth that, at least for the next few years.
Who Else Could Be Interested In Crosby?
With Crosby still playing at a high level, teams pushing for a Super Bowl seem to be an obvious fit for Crosby.
Chadia mentions the Chicago Bears as one team, and they have been linked to Crosby time and time again.
The fit in Chicago is obvious, and the Bears won the NFC North in Ben Johnson's first season as the head coach, so they are trending in the right direction.
Chadiha also mentions teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, but it seems unlikely that any team gives the Raiders two first-round picks that the Ravens had agreed to deal before backing out.
"It's likely the Raiders will sit tight and see how the market evolves for Crosby after the Ravens debacle, and he might not be available again until the midway point of this coming season. But keeping him on a team that is still a long way from contending isn't great business. Somebody will come calling for him again," Chadiha added.
So, the thought process is this: The Raiders make phone calls and gauge the market. If they don't get what they want, why not let Crosby play and see what offers they get at the deadline?
It is a bit of a risk because an injury or poor play would plummet his value, but there aren't many options after what happened with the Ravens.