Ravens reportedly agree $112m deal with Hendrickson after backing out of Crosby trade | NFL

Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has reportedly agreed on a four-year, $112m contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

The contract is not yet formalized as it can’t be signed off until the start of the new league year at 4pm ET on Wednesday.

The Ravens backed out of a blockbuster trade for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby late on Tuesday over reported concerns about the player’s knee injury. That meant Baltimore keeps the two first-round draft picks they had agreed to send Las Vegas and quickly pivoted to the best pass rusher on the market.

Hendrickson was an All-Pro for the Bengals in 2024 when he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks. He played in only seven games because of injuries last season and had four sacks.

The 31-year-old Hendrickson has 81 sacks in nine seasons with New Orleans and Cincinnati. He reached double-digits four times, including 17.5 in consecutive seasons in 2023-24.

The Raiders announced on Tuesday evening that Baltimore had backed out of the deal for Crosby. “We will have no further comment at this time,” the Raiders said in their statement.

Crosby underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and needed to pass a physical for the deal to be finalized. He missed the final two games of the season because of the injury despite wanting to play through it at the time. A person with knowledge of Baltimore’s decision told the Associated Press that Crosby failed his physical.

Crosby said on a recent appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that he was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab. One of his agents, CJ LaBoy, posted on social media on Tuesday night that Crosby is recovering well under the care of orthopedist Dr Neal ElAttrache.

“Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon,” LaBoy posted. “Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons.”

The addition of Crosby was supposed to be the piece to help the Ravens make a serious challenge for the Super Bowl while quarterback Lamar Jackson is still in his prime. The Raiders were expected to use the Ravens’ draft picks as part of a rebuild.

The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season, and has reached double-digit sacks four times in his seven seasons.

Baltimore, who have a first-year coach in Jesse Minter, are in a win-now mode with three-time All-Pro Jackson. Crosby would have been a significant boost for a defense that finished tied for 28th in the league in sacks with only 30 last season. They will hope Hendrickson now plays that role.

The Raiders own the No 1 pick in the draft and are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Las Vegas have been extremely aggressive at the start of free agency, agreeing to deals with several new players and reportedly agreeing to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets.

The biggest move the Raiders made was agreeing to a deal with three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. He gets a three-year, $81m contract with $60m guaranteed to leave Baltimore and join Las Vegas.

Because they entered free agency with nearly $112m in salary cap space, Raiders general manager John Spytek has room to continue to be aggressive with or without Crosby’s cap hit. He signed a three-year extension a year ago worth $106.5m, with $91.5m guaranteed, that briefly made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.

Where the Raiders go from here remains to be seen. It’s unlikely they can bring back Crosby given the enmity between the player and the organization. He wasn’t happy about going through another rebuild and was especially upset after the club sidelined him with two games to go last season.

If the Raiders shop him again – which they probably will be forced to try – getting the same kind of offer the Ravens made likely would be difficult at best. Teams also may be hesitant to be aggressive in pursuing someone with Crosby’s injury history even if his production has remained at a high level when he’s been on the field.