Unpacking failed trade between Raiders, Ravens
Chris Simms and Connor Rogers discuss the Maxx Crosby trade falling through and the reporting surrounding the situation, looking back at similar scenarios in the past and analyzing the factors at play.
Video Transcript
Last night was one of those, like, earth-shattering NFL news-y- Uh-huh, uh-huh moments where everybody is reacting all at the same time.
I texted you guys, I was like- You were the first person that texted me.
I- I was kind of getting ready to eat dinner- Yeah and had the phone off, or not off, but just aside.
Like away, yeah.
And I was just wasn't looking at anything, and then I just, you know, happened to have it on the kitchen counter.
And I went, "Oh, let me go check my phone.
I got a few text messages," and you were the first one I saw.
And then I looked more and I was like, "Oh, I have a few other people here that are also going, 'I'm hearing Max Crosby trade might not go through.'"
But- It's nuts th- then it's like go And Florio got all mad to me today 'cause I go, 'cause I First off I went Then I went to the t- espn.com.
I saw that Schefter said something, so I was like, "Oh my God, this is real.
Like this is- Yeah really, this happened."
And then I was like, I turn on NFL.com, and Florio got all mad at me.
He's like, "I mean, you didn't wanna go to pro football?"
I knew that was coming.
"You do all that?"
Yep.
But, but honestly, I'm a great friend, and w- I ended up having to say this, and I went, "Dude, I went to your website and nothing was up there yet."
Oh.
"So I deliberately left you out of that story for that reason, you jerk."
Cannot blow up your spot.
"For calling me out now."
Yep.
I'm gonna blow your spot back up, but yeah, like amazing moment, right?
Like one of those moments where that happens, now you're watching TV.
I got the NFL insiders on.
I'm watching the, all of them.
Pelissero went off.
Pelissero went off.
Which- He left the screen for a minute yeah, which was pretty cool.
It really was.
And I was going, "Damn, this is like live reaction."
They were all flustered.
Yep.
You know, it was one The s- th- my son comes downstairs like, "Dad, did you hear?"
Like it's one of those moments, right?
Yeah.
So crazy.
It really was.
And, yeah, you know, never a dull moment in the NFL, but that was one of the more earth-shattering, crazy, big moments I can ever remember with that type of situation that we saw.
Well, this is the theater of the NFL.
Like we have the sport and the games, and that's what matters the most, but there's this, this is why NFL is king.
It's March, and there's- And it's dominating the sports conversation dominating the sports conversation.
The drama of it is insane because the Raiders, understandably, are very vague in the statement.
They backed out of the trade.
Doesn't say anything about the physical.
Doesn't say anything Like it's just- Just angry texts- So- or angry tweets, right every insider immediately is trying to figure out what happened.
Yeah.
We're all trying to figure out what happened.
It made me wanna ask you- I was trying to figure out what happened.
Yeah.
Just full transparency.
'Cause it, it's bizarre.
I mean, I was sitting there.
I mean, I was texting with friends in the NFL who are all texting me like- Right, like, "How did this happen?"
"Do you know what's going on?"
I'm going, "No, I don't know what's going on.
You guys gotta..." No, we're s- w- we're, we're talking about it here right now, just figuring out what the hell could've gone on.
So I didn't mean to cut you off.
No, no, no but just it was so earth-shattering from all angles there.
I wanted to open with when, when you played or even when you worked in the league- Yeah after you played- Right was there ever anything strange that you went through or witnessed during this weird time, where it's like this?
'Cause this, people back out of signings.
Yeah.
Trades fall apart.
Mm-hmm.
This is a higher magnitude because of all the draft capital in it.
Max Crosby's a star.
Yeah.
The drama in it.
D- is there anything weird, like a personal story?
Yeah, that's a good question.
Where you were like, "Oh, this b-" This is like, you forget how much of a business this really, really is.
Mm-hmm.
And it can get a little grimy- Yeah a little weird- It definitely can at times.
It's, it's, it's, nothing like this.
And this- Well, this is like a magnitude of epic proportions this is, this is, I don't think we've ever seen anything like this.
No, this is up there.
Right?
You, you can compare it to Drew Brees and what happened with the Dolphins failing a physical.
That's right.
But at that point, Drew Brees wasn't even Drew Brees at that time.
No.
This is So the, he was like, "Wait, is he s- good?
We're not sure how good he is."
The Chargers just went 11 and 5 with him, and they don't want him, right?
So you were like, "I don't know-" Right "about Drew Brees," and he had the shoulder injury.
So it was a little of all that.
This was, like, proven commodity superstar, no doubt one of the five best players on defense in the NFL.
Yeah.
So that's where it's crazy.
So I don't think I've ever been a part of anything quite like that.
I can remember being in New England, and us, and us bringing in Emmanuel Sanders, even though he was tendered, and that was, like, a little conversation going on of, like, "Should we be the first team to actually sign a guy that is kind of a no-no-" It doesn't happen "to be tendered?"
It doesn't happen, right?
Yeah, it's an unwritten rule.
Right, right.
So there was, like, that, that is one where I remember going, "Ooh, this is interesting, what's going on."
the other one I think that, that I can just speak to the most, I had two pretty unbelievable, awesome players kind of dealing with contract stuff that I can The only thing that we A- and one was Brandon Marshall.
Brandon Marshall.
But, like, not like this.
It was Brandon Marshall.
The team had said, "Hey, if you play well and act accordingly at the start of the year, we're gonna give you a new deal."
They didn't do that, right?
They put Josh McDaniels in a horrible spot.
Yeah.
And that's why I o- you've heard me say before, like- Yeah Josh McDaniels had some things working against him in Denver that weren't fair, that people just don't realize what were going on.
So that went on.
But we got late in the year, and we were playing the Eagles, like maybe second to last game of the year.
And you know, you go into the locker room, you're getting ready to go out for the game.
Now everybody goes into the bathroom and liv- gives themselves one more look in the mirror, like, "Do I look cool?
Do I look like a baller today?"
Yeah.
Right?
Right?
And I'm sitting there going, "Wait, I d- I don't.
How do I make myself-" " look like one?"
But, um- More armbands.
Yeah, more armbands.
Tighter sleeves, something.
Something make me look like a baller.
But there's Brandon Marshall, who is top baller on the team, and I could tell And we're best buddies on the team at that time.
I could tell he's frustrated as hell, and then all of a sudden he d- kind of grabs his neck and his shoulders back, just goes, "Argh."
And I'm like, "What?"
And he's like, "I can't play like this."
And I'm like, "What do you mean?"
He's like, "I c- I can't play like this.
Like, I'm, I'm two games away from making my whole family and changing my life and life-changing money."
Right.
He was Yeah.
It's, "I can't go out here and put myself and my body on the line.
Like, it's hard for me to do it."
And I looked at him, because first off, he was as intense and as physical as it gets on a football field.
He played like a linebacker at receiver.
Yep.
He's a built one.
I looked at him, and it was probably the only time I've ever said anything like this.
I just said, "Dude."
"Yeah."
"Be careful, man.
Like, don't go crazy."
I, I literally said that.
Right?
'Cause I felt for him.
I didn't know what to say.
So it's not really apples to apples, but still just big name player going through some stuff, dealing with some stuff.
The other one was Albert Haynesworth and watching that go down in Tennessee.
Right.
Nothing monumental there.But just the, are they gonna re-sign him?
He's the best defensive player in football, but they were scared if they paid him, he'd kind of be like, "Ah, I made it.
Let me sip pina coladas now."
Yeah.
Right?
But he was still awesome, so that was going on.
That was the only thing I can say that was monumental in my career, but nothing like what we saw here with, Maxx Crosby.
Yeah, it's a reminder how high the stakes can get.
Yeah.
And you could be one play away from losing it all.
Like, that, that's the brutal part of this sport, and- I, I can be a perfect example of that as well.
Right.
I g- gambled on myself- It changes your entire- and I lost my spleen- Yeah and almost died, and life was never the same after that.
Right.
Yeah.
It can change your entire life, and that's the player and the agent side of this that I think can be hard for some people to grasp, but it's very, very real.
So let's get right into it.
Yeah, let's do it.
I So last night we get the bombshell.
The Ravens back out of the trade.
Uh-huh.
That's the word, the language.
Yes.
Backed out of the trade.
You know, there's rumors going around it's for medical reasons.
This is the statement from the Raiders that does not say that.
They are very vague tactically.
Yep.
"The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement"- What a piss .
Oh, yeah, "for Maxx Crosby.
We will have no further comment at this time."
Of course, Crosby had surgery to repair a meniscus tear on January 8th, but, this feels to me, Chris- Well- just more cold feet than, "Oh, this popped up.
We can't go through with this."
Okay.
All right.
So it, it's fishy.
And I don't know if I know anything here, right?
Right.
You know, I don't know anything here.
I'm, this is all speculation at this point.
I'm definitely with you in that it th- that it looked fishy at first.
I When it first happened, I was like, "Man, is this just a case of them getting cold feet and them going, 'Forget it?'"
Right?
And, or did he go in there and maybe go And they, "Well, whoa, he wants that kind of money here now that we've traded?
He wants that kind of bump?"
It happens.
Right?
Yeah.
We know that does happen.
Now, y- now, you would think, again, the, the Ravens would know that in, already prior to s- s- you know, trying to trade for him.
You'd hope, yeah.
Yeah.
You would think.
And, and, and I think you and I both know that yes, I, I would be shocked if they didn't know, honestly.
I mean, usually those conversations go on in illegal tampering conversations of the combine.
Like, "Hey, if we trade for your guy, okay, oh-" Do we have to do this?
"Do we have to do this?"
Or the agent goes, "Hey, we'd like a little bump."
And they go, "Okay, we understand that," and then you do that.
So there was a part of me like, did he go in and ask for too much right away, and they were just like, "Whoa, we don't know about that.
Call the doctor, call the doctor.
Tell him to fail the physical."
Failed the physical.
"His knee, doc."
Wink, wink.
"Doc."
Wink, wink.
"His knee's not right."
Right?
Yeah.
So that kind of went through my mind.
Okay?
Then the other thing that went through my mind was like, was like, "Well, maybe he just, there really was an injury."
Right?
Maybe it's really concern.
Maybe this is a doctor that, you know, again, he's trying The doctor, he or she is trying to d- to have the best interest of the organization a- a- you know, at the top or the forefront of their mind here.
And at the, and, and off of that, I just went, "Man, that doctor better be right."
I literally was, like, chuckling to myself, 'cause he goes back to the Raiders or somewhere else and has 15 sacks next year, that doctor will not be the doctor of the Baltimore Ravens anymore.
No.
You'll hear it from everybody.
Yes.
Hear it from everybody.
Okay.
So now, and I know we're gonna get into this, they signed Trey Hendrickson today.
Yeah.
And we're gonna talk about that, and the deal, and all of that.
And I know now, man, now it makes people think, I think, even more that goes, "It looks like they, they had cold feet.
They didn't wanna pay him that money, and they got Trey Hendrickson, who's really good, for far less than what they were gonna get Maxx Crosby for."
Right.
And I think that's like, I understand that common logic.
I do.
I, I get that.
But I don't think that's how the Ravens operate.
One, here's where I'll just push back on maybe the narrative of people thinking they got cold feet and did it.
And again, I don't know, and I could be wrong.
And if I find out information that it was cold feet and all that, I'll be the first one to be here and tell you that.
I, I'm not trying to be Nostradamus here.
But I think, one, Maxx Crosby's in a different class from Trey Hendrickson- Sure as a player.
And three years younger.
Yes, and three years younger.
Exactly right.
As a player.
Trey Hendrickson's a really good p- football- he's awesome.
Don't get me wrong.
But I also would tell you that just talking to people I know in the NFL, he's not viewed in the class of Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, right?
T.J. Watt.
Yeah.
That, that group of guys.
Yeah.
Right?
Miles Garrett, of course.
Like, that's- Miles Garrett, Danielle Hunter.
That, the, the- The upper echelons.
Right, the upper echelons.
He's not viewed as that.
He's viewed as really damn good, but the next group down.
And, on top of that, I think there's a little bit of a Trey Hendrickson of he can disappear a little at times.
You won't always feel the effects of him like you do the other guys.
And there obviously was an issue in the market of Trey Hendrickson.
Yeah.
I mean, we kind of talked about it on Monday.
Right.
I, I alluded to, I think he's asking for too much.
Because I had some people out there going, "He's asking for a boatload."
I didn't hear the numbers, but then you heard people like Diana Russini come out and go, "There's like a 10 million different, um"- That's a massive gap massive difference.
Yeah.
Which tells me and leads me to believe that, yeah, he was probably thinking he might get 38, 40 million, something in that range.
36, 37, whatever.
For perspective on that- Yeah, yeah if he got 38- Yes like, per year, that's a tick below Miles Garrett and T.J. Watt.
Exactly.
28 is Brian Burns, Josh Heinz, Allen.
Okay.
Okay.
So the NFL thinks he's tier two.
Great players.
Yes.
He thought he was more t- tier one.
Right.
So that's a, that's a big difference.
And people are gonna look at Jalen Phillips and that deal with the 30 million a year- Yep but you could also go, wait, Jalen Phillips is about to be in the prime of his career.
He's 27.
And, and you do get paid- Yeah for potential a little bit at times.
Right.
Yeah.
He's in his prime.
Yeah.
And it just looks like it's going like this, so there's a difference there.
But yeah, I think you're saying it right.
That's the tier he's in.
Okay.
And to, to, like, you know, again, not to disrespect Trey Hendrickson, but yeah, if you give me a choice between Brian Burns and Trey Hendrickson, I'm taking Brian Burns all day long.
Right.
I, I am.
So where I'm going with this is that, okay, so that happens, but my bottom line with the Maxx Crosby and the Ravens, and how it looks with Trey Hendrickson is, one, the Ravens have been a top-notch organization for the whole century.
They've kind of done everything the right way.
They rarely have we been talking about the Ravens in situations like this.
No, we don't.
As bad as it's ever gotten, it feels like, was like, how much are they gonna pay Joe Flacco?
Or- Right are they gonna get a deal done with Lamar right now?
Yeah.
That's about as messy as it's ever get- got- Yeah in Baltimore, right?
I don't think they would wanna do this to a player or another organization or the agent.
I don't think that.I think they're a pretty well thought out football team where, again, conversations about money or knowing that the knee thing, it did just happen, and that realistically, like, yeah, it's not gonna be perfect.
We know it's not gonna be perfect right now.
But obviously it must have been worse than that.
But so, what I'm, but what I'm saying is, I don't think it's cold feet because then it just becomes risky about whether you get to address this all together on your football team.
Right.
Right?
There's no guarantee they were gonna get him today.
So I just don't feel like they would've planned and done it this way, right?
And the more I sit here, the more I think that, yeah, I think hon- honestly, they were uncomfortable with the medical.
But I don't know that, and I still will say it's a little fishy, too.
I think the- You came in thinking more you think it was fishy and cold feet, right?
A little bit.
Yeah.
Because I guess you weigh it out like this.
Yeah.
You find out I, me going into this, I'm like, Trey Hendrickson's probably gonna get n- near $35 million a year- Mm-hmm from someone because pass rushers get paid, they should get paid.
I think his game will age, as long as he's healthy, his game will age okay- Yeah because he's more technician than- Yes, exactly high effort and- Than high and, like- Right top-end explosion.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Then all of a sudden it changes.
Like, you put everything on the table, and you're like, "Okay, we can get our two first-rounders back, get Trey Hendrickson for even cheaper," and Maxx Crosby's a better player.
Yeah.
No one's denying that.
Yeah.
But the two first-rounders in a free agency where we just lost Tyler Linderbaum, who they wanted back, Dre'Mont Jones, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kohler, they've lost a lot of starters.
Definitely.
So now it's like that draft pick all of a sudden is a lot more important than we initially thought.
Mm-hmm.
They knew they were gonna lose people.
The Ravens lose people all the time.
It's why they have a million compensatory picks every single year.
They've mastered it.
They've mastered the formula, and then they've mastered drafting guys in rounds three through five that are the new starters for the people that they lose.
Exactly.
It's one of the best systems in the draft in the entire sport.
But this was a lot this year, where it's like, we lost a lot.
Yeah.
Can we afford to not have our next two first-round picks all of a sudden?
And the fact that r- that Trey Hendrickson is now a below $30 million player.
So you- He's a $28 million player.
So you think, yeah.
I don't, I won't take a hard stance- No, I, I- 'cause that's, it's dangerous- Yeah to make those accusations.
Yeah.
But I get the side that is buying into that- Yeah because it, it just doesn't look good on paper.
Yeah.
Wait, Maxx is gonna want $40 million a year.
We just talked to some people.
We heard Hendrickson.
He's gonna be o- he, he's only getting offers of 26, 27, 28 out there.
We can get him for that.
So maybe let's pivot to that guy?
Right.
That, I, I, I hear what you're saying.
The, yeah.
It's a dangerous game to play, a dangerous game to play.
