The Cincinnati Bengals will no longer have to worry about Maxx Crosby hounding Joe Burrow twice a year in the AFC North. Or at least Crosby won't be suiting up for the Baltimore Ravens.
Mere days after news broke that Crosby was headed from Las Vegas to Baltimore in exchange for two first-round picks, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport passed along an update from Sin City that the massive trade wouldn't go through.
From the #Raiders: pic.twitter.com/6oMYCOLZfi
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2026
And that is absolutely hysterical. What chaos! The Athletic's Dianna Russini followed up by reporting that Crosby failed his physical on Tuesday, which effectively nullified the trade.
Bengals rejoice in the hilarity of Maxx Crosby-Ravens trade not going through
I made fun of the Bengals for reportedly poking around the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes. They were rumored to be way late to the party, and it's not like they should've pulled the trigger on the deal in the first place. It was more of a commentary on how Cincinnati is never really that all-in for a Super Bowl.
Gotta be clear with that boldfaced text. I never advocated for a Crosby trade.
Baltimore had never made a trade like this in its history. How poetic for Who Dey Heads that it backfired so spectacularly.
Not gonna lie, the prospect of Crosby teaming up with new Ravens coach Jesse Minter, the elite defensive coordinator from the Chargers, didn't sound so good. Although the Bengals' offensive line is as good as it's been in Burrow's career, Crosby is a straight-up game-wrecker when healthy.
How did Baltimore not do its due diligence on Crosby? Maybe it was too much of a frenzied bidding war to worry about a physical, which is usually a mere formality.
Wild too that, if Crosby is still this banged up, he used the Raiders' decision to sit him for the final two regular-season games as a catalyst for a trade demand. That speaks to Crosby's competitive spirit, but it also totally sabotaged what could've been a real chance at a Super Bowl for him and the Ravens.
This sure does make Day 2 of the NFL's legal free agency tampering period feel a lot better for us Cincinnati faithful. Agreeing to terms with Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe on Monday was cool, but Tuesday saw the Bengals miss out on many of the top remaining linebackers.
Wait a second...the Raiders' free-agent spending spree included two linebackers. Are y'all thinking what I'm thinking...? To be continued!