The Baltimore Ravens bet against Father Time when they signed 31-year-old edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract in March.
Whether that pays off or not could very well determine the season for the Ravens, which is why ESPN’s Matt Bowen put it at the top of his list of the NFL’s “Most Impactful” offseason moves.
The Ravens reported to training camp on Tuesday.
“While a failed physical returned Maxx Crosby to Las Vegas, the Ravens were still able to boost their edge rusher position with Hendrickson,” Bowen wrote. “Injuries limited Hendrickson to seven games in 2025, but he is a relentless defender when healthy. Remember: He had a league-high 17.5 sacks and 65 pressures in a full 2024 season. Hendrickson has a deep toolbox of counters and a knack for making plays late in the down. Look for new Ravens coach Jesse Minter to use multiple fronts to create favorable matchups for him. Minter can also get Hendrickson home on stunts.”
Ravens Pivoted to Hendrickson After Failed Trade
Just 1 day after backing out of a blockbuster trade for Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby, the Baltimore Ravens delivered another haymaker to the NFL offseason by agreeing to a 4-year, $112 million contract with free agent edge rusher Trey Hendrickson that could be worth up to $120 million.
“Ravens and Trey Hendrickson reached agreement on a four-year, $112 million contract,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Wednesday morning. “Hendrickson stays in the AFC North, and now will be facing Joe Burrow and the Bengals twice a season … Trey Hendrickson’s four-year deal worth up to $120 million with the Ravens includes $60 million fully guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus. For 8, 10, 12 and 14 sacks per season, he also gets an additional $500,000 for each threshold he meets.”
Hendrickson, 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, had consecutive seasons with 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024, leading the NFL in sacks in 2024, when he earned NFL All-Pro honors. He’s also a 4-time Pro Bowler.
Ravens Shocked NFL By Backing Out of Crosby Trade
In one of the more shocking and dramatic offseason twists in NFL history, the Ravens backed out of a trade with the Raiders for Crosby after agreeing to send their 2026 and 2027 1st-round picks to the Raiders in exchange for the 2-time NFL All-Pro.
“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the Raiders said in a prepared statement. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The deal was called off after Crosby, who underwent meniscus surgery on his knee in December, reportedly failed a physical.
“Maxx Crosby did not pass his physical today, per sources,” The Athletic’s Diana Russini wrote on her official X account. “The Ravens get their first-round picks back.”
Crosby had been in Baltimore in the days after the trade, undergoing physical exams to finalize the trade.
The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo confirmed it was a medical issue that red flagged the Ravens.
“Maxx Crosby had surgery to repair his meniscus right around the end of the season, and meniscus recoveries take 3-4 months,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said after the news broke on Tuesday night. “It appears the Ravens are just not comfortable with what they found during the medical exams for Maxx Crosby, so now the trade is off.”
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