Baltimore Ravens president Sashi Brown isn’t concerned with the way the team is being viewed around the NFL following its decision to pull out of the Maxx Crosby trade.
The Ravens agreed to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the pass rusher’s services in a blockbuster affair. However, they walked away from the deal, allowing him to return to Vegas, where he’s now likely to remain for the foreseeable future.
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Baltimore’s decision to abort the trade reportedly turned off execs around the league, particularly because it was no secret that the franchise had prioritized its pass rush and is known to be frugal with premium draft assets.
They were already facing widespread criticism over their firing of John Harbaugh and the manner in which they did it. Pulling out of the Crosby deal, then turning around and signing Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, did not make things better.
Still, Brown is adamant that the Ravens did what was best and that the deal did not meet certain conditions.
“I think this is how it should be handled. I really do,” Brown said on Tuesday, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “We’re not aiming for that result, but when you have a high-stakes transaction like that, everybody needs to understand what conditions you are moving forward on. I won’t say much more than that. We’re disappointed that it didn’t go through, but we move on to the next opportunity.
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“As (general manager Eric DeCosta’s) said, we were incredibly excited and just as equally, if not more, disappointed that we were unable to pull off that transaction and bring Maxx to Baltimore. I’m not going to go too much deeper into that.”
Sashi Brown Cites Less-Than-Correct Reports
Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby in the tunnel. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
(Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
Brown added that the reports on the failed trade are not exactly accurate but did not provide any details.
“We understand the need to report on these high-profile cases,” he said. “We’re going to trust ourselves, and we have a ton of respect for Maxx and treat all of this with the right privacy and respect and dignity that it deserves.
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“There are steps that teams take consistently. We just saw another team go through a very similar circumstance. This is not the first time it’s going to happen. It will not be the last. I think everybody wants to be prudent through our processes. It’s unfortunate and rare, especially in a high-profile case like this, but that’s why the processes are in place.”
Should the Ravens fail to make the playoffs again next season, they can expect even louder criticism.
Related: Aaron Glenn Backs Geno Smith to Turn Jets’ Fortunes Around
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Apr 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.