The first day of the legal tampering period was a rollercoaster, but Day 2 has the potential to go down in history -- maybe infamy -- after the Baltimore Ravens backed out of their Maxx Crosby trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Baltimore cited Crosby's failed physical, but he's recovering from January meniscus surgery. He was never going to pass a physical. While the Ravens got what they wanted in the end, teams will certainly second guess doing business with them going forward.
Meanwhile, everyone believes the Dallas Cowboys will circle back on Crosby after finishing as runners-up in the initial sweepstakes.
The initial groundswell hit like a shot of dopamine, but multiple insiders have since thrown cold water on the idea, including The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Jane Slater of NFL Network.
Can confirm. A team source tells me “we moved on with Rashan Gary, etc” https://t.co/KI2OVWPyTy
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 11, 2026
Don't count on the Dallas Cowboys trading for Maxx Crosby
"We moved on with Rashan Gary," is not the explanation Cowboys fans wanted, or deserve. There has to be more to the story.
Think about it. The Cowboys nearly traded a 2026 first-round pick, which was widely reported as the No. 12 overall pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a player for Crosby. They pivoted admirably by sending a 2027 fourth to the Packers for Gary.
While Gary is a nice player, and Dallas' evaluation of players can be spotty, there's no way the front office rates Gary and Crosby on a similar tier. Again, with all due respect to Gary, there is no way that adding him took the Cowboys out of a Maxx Crosby trade.
Unless, maybe, there is genuine concern about Crosby's knee.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys' team surgeon and premier knee specialist, Dr. Daniel Cooper, reviewed Crosby's MRI scans and examined him. Here is what Schefter said on SportsCenter late Tuesday (h/t Jane Slater, NFL Network).
"My understanding is that there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans. There were doctors that examined him, including Dr. Daniel Cooper ... many teams & players rely on Dr. Cooper's expertise. And Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors who reviewed the images where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade."
As if this saga needed any more intrigue and question marks. This could explain why the Cowboys reportedly won't re-engage. They went from making a competitive offer for Crosby to almost immediately removing themselves from his market after the Ravens' rug-pull.
There is seemingly a lot more here than what meets the eye. We'll hopefully have more answers soon, but in the meantime, don't expect Dallas to trade for the five-time Pro Bowler.