Maxx Crosby can't pass a physical and the Raiders' reset is in ruins

New leadership. The chance to draft a new franchise face. The spending of $200 million on the first day of free agency. The Las Vegas Raiders were hoping they'd be able to look back at the 2026 offseason as the turning point toward something meaningful, an offseason in which they made huge moves to put their bumbling ways behind them and actually climb out of the AFC West basement.

Then came the Maxx Crosby news.

The Raiders shocked football fans with the blockbuster trade of their star pass rusher earlier this week to the Baltimore Ravens for multiple first-round draft selections. On Tuesday night, the record scratch heard round the NFL indicated that things did not go as planned.

Per numerous reports, the Ravens decided to back out of the trade on Tuesday night, on the eve of the start of a new league year when the deal would have been finalized. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Crosby could not pass his physical, which nullified the terms of the deal. Just like that, the Raiders find themselves in a real pickle.

The Raiders have already punted on the season ahead. With the addition of Baltimore's draft choices, they'd charted a course toward a future in which those picks, in conjunction with the Raiders' other early selections, yielded stronger results. New general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak were hoping to radically alter a losing culture that has defined a franchise with only two playoff appearances since 2003.

While Crosby is an asset for any team that he's on, it's impossible to picture him staying in Vegas after the failed trade to Baltimore. Crosby made it clear that he wanted out of Sin City and then he got his wish. Settling back into his familiar spot on the Raiders' defensive line would serve as a source of drama for a new regime that worked hard to clear the slate.

With the failed physical, it's hard to tell exactly what's ahead for Crosby. It's possible that another team's medical staff would be okay with Crosby, but the whole situation feels dicey. How will Crosby move forward with his playing career when stuck in limbo like this?

And the Raiders have already spent massive amounts of money this offseason, all around a game plan that didn't include Crosby. That includes pass rusher Kwity Paye and several other defenders signed in free agency. The teams that could be interested for Crosby, if indeed another trade could work out, have allocated their own resources elsewhere. The Panthers paid $120M for Jaelan Phillips, and the Commanders signed Odafe Oweh for $100M.

Winning in free agency is not a real achievement, but the Raiders were at least clearly aiming for a franchise reset. It was a plan built around cashing in their most valuable asset for more chances at future glory. Now they find themselves back at the drawing board with a very confusing scenario involving a frustrated superstar and a completely wrecked offseason plan. That has become The Raider Way.