Combine Press Conference

[papasmurfbell]

So 2022 was a good yr?

https://imgflip.com/i/863lny

[papasmurfbell]

Hell yeah.  Somehow we backed out of the Crosby deal.

[tsylvester]

Wow, what a stunner, must be injury related

[papasmurfbell]

I’m hearing they were surprised Hendrickson has been so cheap.  Make excuse on injury front.  Ink Trey and save 2 picks.

[oldno82]

That's the best news I've  heard in 3 days! By all means YES! sign Hendrickson!

[oldno82]

Punditry World is all in a dither:

"

The Ravens are backing out of their trade for Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby. It’s a stunning move with major implications for Baltimore’s 2026 season.  

Here’s how a handful of national analysts reacted to the news of the deal being off on the social media platform X. 

Field Yates, ESPN 

This Maxx Crosby situation is crazy. There are massive ripple effects from it. The Raiders’ free agency approach changed when they traded him. Other teams who wanted Crosby pivoted as well. The draft picks involved. And now, the future of Crosby is the biggest question in the NFL. 

Scott Van Pelt, ESPN 

I thought once IG posts and podcast goodbyes had happened….that was a wrap. What are we doing here ? 

Dave Helman, The Athletic  

The Raiders had so much cap space, I doubt winding up with Crosby back on their roster really affects their finances much. Baltimore lost 7-8 major pieces after taking on Crosby’s contract. And now he’s gone. That sucks so bad. 

Jordan Schultz, The Schultz Report

Forget just the NFL: this Maxx Crosby ordeal is now one of the strangest situations I’ve ever seen in pro sports. Period. 

Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated  

This puts the Raiders in an incredibly difficult situation. They lose the picks, they have a bunch of deals to be finalized tomorrow done under the assumption Maxx Crosby was gone, and now they may have to turn around and trade him again with the medical question hovering. 

Ben Standig, Commanders/NFL reporter

Holy, hell. Crosby. I know nothing is official until tomorrow but did the Ravens just blow up all of free agency???

Dianna Russini, The Athletic  

Free agent pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is expected to make a formal decision tomorrow, per sources. Several teams continue to monitor the market and remain interested. He has offers on the table. 

JP Acosta, CBS Sports 

The Ravens are probably gonna pivot to Hendrickson, but the market for Crosby has gotta be much lower now. Raiders might be kinda screwed. 

Mina Kimes, ESPN 

Whew baby. They better go sign Trey Hendrickson [because] otherwise OOF.  

Jacob Calvin Meyer, The Baltimore Sun

Hey, at least Pete Alonso is still an Oriole.

Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. "

[tsylvester]

The Raiders cant keep him, can they? Major bucks doled out, including for 2 other pass rushers.

Maybe the Bills get back into the trade..

But yes, the front office has no choice now but to go after Hendricks

[papasmurfbell]

The raiders are going to get far less.  Trey looks like he could be a bargain.

[GrubberRaven]

16 hours ago, papasmurfbell said:

What’s that win loss record post Ray?  I said a long time ago that once the leaders left it hasn’t been the same.  So before Ray et al the ravens made the playoffs 100% of the time.  They had a 6-5 record in the playoffs.  That’s a .545 win rate.  They always won at least 1 game. 

now post Ray.  We have missed the playoffs 6 times.  That is a 54% make rate.  In that time we are 4-7in the playoffs.  That’s a .364 win rate.  In 3 of the 7 yrs we were 1 and done.  

so let’s look at Dallas.  We will make it fair and just look at the same 13 yrs as the ravens.  In that time they made the playoffs 6 times.  That is a 46% make rate.  In the playoff yrs they are 3-6 for a .333 win rate.  In the 6 yrs they made it they 1 and downed 3 times.  

So in the same amount of time the ravens  missed the playoffs 6 times to the cowboys 7.  That’s a 54% to 46% show rate.  We were 4-7 compared to their 3-6.  That’s .364 to .333 win rate.  And both teams have a 1 and done in 3 different seasons.  So please explain how both teams are not incredibly similar in their success or lack there of?

 

You know I won't fault you for pointing out the lack of leadership since Ray and Ed left.  Lamar is no leader.  Talented yes, leader no.  Taking Ray out to prove your point works mathematically, but Ray was here before Harbaugh and there were some pretty dry years then too.  Ultimately, this is a clean slate now, but I'm not jumping to the conclusion we are on par with Dallas if you subset the data to prove your point.

[GrubberRaven]

Holeeeeeeee shit...what a turn of events.

The voice in the back of my head was leery of TWO pics for him as he was coming off an injury and his mileage, but he IS/WAS a proven commodity.  I'm more worried about this making the front office look shady.

Also, there are rumblings that Lamar restructured and did not get extended and if that's the case, Lamar better go all out or he can go bye bye next year.  

I hate Brady, but the guy took pays that benefitted his team.  Lamar is about Lamar.

[GrubberRaven]

https://www.threads.com/@adamschefter/post/DVvuYjJlZRL?xmt=AQF0v8q2JapuiNa8XxtIzDB00aI0UZLq2ILKJgbTcuzRMw

[tsylvester]

Frankly, I would have kept him, its a meniscus, fully repaired, he would be ready to go, by his doctor's voice, by training camp. This wasn't a one year rental afterall 

.I'm just glad/hope it was an injury, not that Lamar balked at his contract offer and the team couldn't fit Max in the salary cap

[tsylvester]

Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has agreed on a four-year, $112 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

https://phl17.com/sports/ap-star-edge-rusher-trey-hendrickson-heading-to-baltimore-on-4-year-112-million-deal-ap-source-says/

[tsylvester]

Strike with authority and Strike swiftly

[tsylvester]

From Espn, more on the deal

The sides agreed to a four-year, $112 million deal that can be worth up to $120 million with incentives, according to Schefter. The deal includes $60 million fully guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, sources told Schefter.

[GrubberRaven]

So someone tell me this is good.  He played 7 games last year and is 2 years older than Crosby

[papasmurfbell]

46 minutes ago, GrubberRaven said:

You know I won't fault you for pointing out the lack of leadership since Ray and Ed left.  Lamar is no leader.  Talented yes, leader no.  Taking Ray out to prove your point works mathematically, but Ray was here before Harbaugh and there were some pretty dry years then too.  Ultimately, this is a clean slate now, but I'm not jumping to the conclusion we are on par with Dallas if you subset the data to prove your point.

The yrs under billick that sucked billick said I got my money do what you want.  He literally quit on the team twice.

As for the comparison between both franchises and bringing in earlier yrs I raise the 90s and Landry Dallas teams.  More sb wins.  More success.  But Eric as gm and Jerry as gm have very similar results.

[papasmurfbell]

24 minutes ago, GrubberRaven said:

So someone tell me this is good.  He played 7 games last year and is 2 years older than Crosby

Trey clearly quit on Cincy last yr.  Brown forced him to be there so he comes up lame and still gets paid.

[tsylvester]

33 minutes ago, GrubberRaven said:

So someone tell me this is good.  He played 7 games last year and is 2 years older than Crosby

They had no choice other than the draft. I'm not concerned with his age, he does get nicked up, but now they can focus on the draft and groom someone. He is a better version of VaNoy.

They wouldn't have done this deal unless the Lamar situation was settled

[oldno82]

I'd rather have the two picks and an older Trey Henderson. I don't think he's as dominating as Crosby but he's pretty damned good. As for last year's production, papa is probably right. Trey and the Bengals management couldn't agree on a contract and wouldn't trade him. They forced that situation. Does his age concern me? Yes but even if we get just one or two good years out of him we get to keep our first round picks.

You don't trade two firsts for anything less than a shot at a franchise quarterback in my opinion.

This was a good rebound deal.

[tsylvester]

FFrom NBC before his signing here

 

According to multiple reports, expectation around the league is that Trey Hendrickson will be making his decision about his next team on Wednesday. The Crosby trade falling apart could factor into that choice.

Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports that the Ravens have joined the Eagles and Colts in the mix for Hendrickson’s services. Albert Breer of SI.com adds the Cowboys to the list of teams keeping tabs on where things stand with Hendrickson and notes that the Ravens making a big push for Hendrickson would “bolster suspicions some teams have” that the Crosby decision was not solely based on the state of his surgically repaired knee.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported this week that there was a gap of around $10 million per year between what Hendrickson was looking for and the offers he was receiving since the negotiating window opened on Monday

[tsylvester]

From an Eagles website

Hendrickson is one of the NFL's top pass rushers. He made four straight Pro Bowls from 2021 to 2024, with a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2024. He finished second in the NFL in sacks in 2023 with 17.5, and he led the NFL in sacks in 2024, once again with 17.5.

In 2025, Hendrickson had a public contract squabble with the Bengals, and he missed 10 games with back and core muscle injuries, the latter of which required surgery, ending his season. He only had 4 sacks in seven games in 2025.

[GrubberRaven]

1 hour ago, papasmurfbell said:

The yrs under billick that sucked billick said I got my money do what you want.  He literally quit on the team twice.

As for the comparison between both franchises and bringing in earlier yrs I raise the 90s and Landry Dallas teams.  More sb wins.  More success.  But Eric as gm and Jerry as gm have very similar results.

We didn't even exist though...wtf...

[GrubberRaven]

I appreciate the info on Hendrickson.  Having him and 2 picks back is good.  Just hope he is healthy.

[tsylvester]

By all accounts, if both players are healthy, even with being 2 years older, Hendricks is better, more consistent.