The issue of making moves during the tampering period and up until the start of the league year is that either teams or players can renege on deals. That's precisely what the Baltimore Ravens did, backing out from the Maxx Crosby trade after agreeing to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders. After the deal failed to go through, maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars should consider making another push for the five-time Pro Bowl nod.
The Jags were originally interested in pursuing Crosby, but lacked the draft ammo to pull it off. Since then, though, teams have addressed needs, and the money well has dried a bit. That could allow Jacksonville to once again make a run for the veteran pass rusher.
Why the Jaguars shouldn't hesitate to trade for Maxx Crosby
Right after Baltimore backed out of the trade, there weren't many details. Things have changed. Maxx Crosby didn't seemingly pass his physical, which allowed the Ravens to renege on the deal. However, they always knew that he had played through a knee injury since Week 3 of the regular season.
Baltimore was also aware that the Raiders placed Crosby on the injured reserve because of the knee injury. This is why it's shocking that he wouldn't be able to pass his physical, or that they didn't wait for him to get healthy if he weren't 100 percent.
Either way, it feels like the failed physical was just the excuse. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, the Raiders said that the Ravens backed out of the trade, implying that they were just looking for an opt-out. Similarly, Tom Pelisser of NFL Media shared his thoughts on the situation. Here's what he had to say.
"To this point, I will say this: the reaction from other people within the NFL that I am getting is predominantly of how the Ravens pulled the rug out. Regardless of what the reasoning was," Pelissero said. "This just does not happen; it has happened on multiple other occasions in the past in much smaller trades and agreements involving the Ravens. However, when you're talking about trading two first-round picks, this is not an unknown issue with Maxx."
Pelissero continued, "Everyone knew he had a knee injury, everyone knew he finished on Injured Reserve, everyone knew, based on Ian's reporting, that he had a meniscus surgery that was actually not just a trim but a meniscus repair that has a longer term type of a timeline. But that did not stop several teams from offering a first-round pick and more, as part of a trade offer. It did not stop the Ravens from offering two first-round picks."
"This is not a situation in which you're putting in a bid in an online auction, then if you don't like the item, you return it via Amazon. This is a trade involving a superstar player in the NFL."
Now, Crosby is back with the Raiders. The issue is that some of the teams that were interested in him have since made other moves, so they may no longer be able to pursue him again. This could actually work in the Jags' favor.
The Jaguars need to at least consider pursuing Maxx Crosby again
Regardless of what led the Ravens to back out of the trade, Maxx Crosby is once again available, and the Jaguars could make a push for him because they have yet to make a splash signing apart from re-signing Montaric Brown. Sure, they would need to create cap space — he has cap hits of around $28 million each year through 2028 — but they could definitely pull it off.
Even though Jacksonville doesn't have a first-round pick in 2026, it could offer wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., a first-rounder next year, and maybe a third in 2026 to sweeten the deal. When you take into account that Crosby won't have as many suitors, that may be enough to get a deal done.
When it comes to the NFL, you have probably heard that you should always expect the unexpected. You can most definitely file the Maxx Crosby in the unexpected category, as nobody saw it coming. But once the shock fades, teams will need to act quickly, and it will be up to the Jaguars to decide whether they consider making another push for the veteran pass rusher.