The Baltimore Ravens are adding one of the standout pass rushers in the NFL.
But for those of you just waking up, it might not be the one you expected.
Just hours after pulling out of an agreed-upon trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby, the Ravens have reached agreement on a four-year deal with Trey Hendrickson. According to multiple reports, the deal with Hendrickson is worth up to $120 million, based on incentives.
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The news brings a wild chapter of this free agency cycle to a close.
Last Friday, Baltimore agreed to send a pair of first-round picks to Las Vegas in exchange for Crosby. Those picks were the Ravens’ 2026 pick in the first round (No. 14 overall) as well as Baltimore’s 2027 first-round selection.
But Tuesday night, word emerged that the Ravens were pulling out of that agreed-upon deal. The Raiders released a brief statement on social media, and then word broke that the Ravens were raising medical concerns regarding Crosby’s injured knee:
Crosby was left to board a flight home, the Ravens were back in the market for a pass rusher, and the Raiders were suddenly contemplating life with Crosby’s contract back on the books, a day after agreeing to over $280 million in deals with other free agents:
As the dust settled from that news, it was not too hard to connect the dots between Hendrickson and the Ravens.
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Certainly, Baltimore needed to bolster their pass rush this offseason. The Ravens struggled to generate pressure on opposing passers a season ago, as their 30 sacks were the third-lowest in the league a year ago.
But at what cost?
Hendrickson is just two seasons removed from a 17.5-sack season — a number he also hit in 2023 — but recorded only four sacks a year ago, as he dealt with a core muscle injury that brought his season to a close. Still, even if he returns to the form he showed in 2024, the Ravens will have paid a big price to bring him to the Inner Harbor.
Both financially, and reputationally.
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