The Cincinnati Bengals had a quiet day 2 of free agency, but some recent developments may change the landscape of their roster and the AFC North. In the days preceding the onset of Free Agency, the Baltimore Ravens had agreed, in principle, to a trade with the Raiders for star defensive end Maxx Crosby.

While it seemed like a done deal, news on Tuesday evening emerged that the trade had fizzled out. By no coincidence, the Ravens have seemingly pivoted to Trey Hendrickson, whose market has been cool since apparently being set to depart from the Bengals after five seasons.

Hendrickson’s market has been quiet, and with the demands seemingly lowered, the Ravens may be more inclined to give him a favorable contract, as opposed to two first-round picks and a possible contract extension for Crosby. Multiple sources, including the Las Vegas Raiders, have confirmed the Ravens’ backing out of the trade:

Since this tweet on X, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz has mentioned the Cowboys as front-runners on a potential trade, among others.

Before the onset of the legal negotiation period of free agency, the Ravens had a lucrative trade in place, sending two first-round picks to the Raiders. For a number of reasons, some unspecified, but some pointing to Hendrickson’s unexpected availability at this point, Baltimore has backed out of the trade.

The seriousness of the Bengals may be questioned, but the Bengals were inquiring about Crosby recently, but the two first-round picks seemed to have been too rich for their blood. It’s possible that with a quiet day two in free agency, the Bengals caught wind of this voided trade and decided to pass on players they’ve been linked to, such as Devin Lloyd, Leo Chenal, and others.

Crosby was the talk of the masses to the Bengals after a falling out with the Raiders at the end of last year. After Las Vegas had a dismal year and their mishandling of Crosby’s injury at the end of the season, the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end quietly became disenchanted with the team that drafted him back in 2019.

The Raiders are in a major state of rebuilding and have had an immense offseason, but this trade falling through has ramifications. If the Ravens indeed pivot to Hendrickson, which is entirely possible, Crosby could be a trade target for a number of teams once again, including the Bengals.

With Cincinnati knocking out two of their big needs in Day 1 of free agency (EDGE and safety), it opens things up for their selection at No. 10, and they could be more inclined to part with high picks for a player like Crosby. However, the net for the Raiders would definitely be lower than what the originally-agreed-upon trade offer netted.

The potential hang-ups with a contract for Hendrickson and a trade/signing of Crosby is in their 2025 injuries. Crosby had an injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely, as did Hendrickson, who played only seven games for the Bengals last year.

Age is another factor. Crosby is going to be 29 years old shortly before the start of the season, while Hendrickson is currently 31 years of age. There is both risk and high-upside with both star defensive ends.

We will keep you posted as further things develop with Hendrickson and Crosby.