Hour 1: Ravens-Raiders Maxx Crosby Trade Nixed Reactions, plus NFL Insider Dianna Russini

24:42Dianna Russini:The Ravens decided to make this trade or at least agree to it, knowing all of this information, having spoken to the surgeon that did the surgery, yet you still want to make sure that the doctors in your building review the MRIs and take a look at the player themselves. And they did that. So the Ravens team doctor on Friday. Actually, what's today? Today's Wednesday. So this was Tuesday. So Friday, the Friday, the trade went down. Max flew in on Monday night. Tuesday, he was at the facility and the team doctor took a look at him and they took a look at the MRIs. Then they decided to have four to five independent doctors take a look at it.

25:26Dianna Russini:Collectively, they made the decision, all these doctors, that this is not good for the long term. The short term for 26, right, the upcoming season, they felt Max would be okay. It was about the third year, the future of Max Crosby as a Raven. And that's when they made the decision that they were going to send back the trade offer and send Max back on a jet after spending almost eight hours in the Ravens facility meeting with the head coach, meeting with assistants, meeting the staff members with his family. And then was told later in the afternoon, he was brought into Eric DaCosta's office and told, look, we're sorry, this isn't going to work.

26:12Dianna Russini:We have too many concerns about your knee. You know, you're now a Vegas Raider again. So he flew back and he's back in the building today rehabbing as a Raider.

26:22Rich Eisen:He had to have been totally steamrolled by that. I can't imagine going into the office of the general manager who just acquired you in your head and then hearing those words from Eric DaCosta. I mean, he had to be dazed, confused or whatever. and so they then reached out to the Raiders and and canceled the trade but which by the way as I said off the top of this show it's their right you know they they have the right to do that but I mean this had nothing to do what you said about the right and and and I do I had a head

26:57Dianna Russini:coach this morning say the same thing you did he essentially said exactly what you said but you're way more eloquent. Okay, I'll take it.

27:03Rich Eisen:Per usual, per usual. All right.

27:06Dianna Russini:But I think the reason why the Ravens are taking so much heat and why the Raiders are obviously mad about this is it seems fishy that Trey Hendrickson was available, who they signed this morning or expected to when the new league year starts here in a few hours, that those conversations started yesterday. I can tell you the Ravens spoke to Trey Hendrickson yesterday while Max Crosby was in the building. Oh, OK. So that tells you that they were aware that something was going on with Max Crosby. Max Crosby was there not knowing he was a dead man walking, that this was this was not going to be his team.

27:47Dianna Russini:OK, so I think that's the problem here. Going through the medicals and saying, OK, this isn't good enough. That's fair. That is their right. And if that's what they really felt, they should do that. But if the reason you did this was because you got cold feet, that you gave up two first rounders for a player that's going to be 29 years old in December, that you thought that maybe his knee wasn't in the shape that you wanted to be. And oh, look, there's Trey Hendrickson. I think that's where it gets a little sticky. And I think that's where a lot of general managers and head coaches and agents that have been texting you for sure have been texting me to make it known that this isn't the way it's supposed to operate.

28:29Dianna Russini:And look, we'll all move past it. The Ravens aren't going to know. No one's going to stop doing business with them. That's not how it is. We know how it goes in football. People move on quick. But but this certainly isn't a great moment. And now Max Crosby, you know, I think unless a team is really willing to give up two first round picks right now, which I can't find one. I think he's going to be a Raider for this upcoming season. And I think he's OK with it. I actually think the relationship between Max Crosby and the Raiders, despite the fact that it was not great at the end of the season, we've done tons of reporting.

29:02Dianna Russini:I know you guys have as well and the guests that have come on your show. But it wasn't broken. It wasn't a relationship that was so tarnished that it could never be repaired. It just was, hey, it's probably beneficial we move on from you, Max. We're going to be able to get a lot of compensation. And Max is like, I can't win here. I've been through a lot. I need a change. I want to build my legacy. I want to go get a Super Bowl, knowing that this Raiders team is not built to win now. But this free agency, they did very well. And I think that's encouraging for someone like Max. And I don't expect anything but absolute discipline and focus like we see from him all the time.

29:36Dianna Russini:I mean, think about what that took. You land last night from Baltimore. Essentially, I was told he left the building around like five, six o 'clock. Right. So you're back in Vegas for our flight out of Baltimore. It's 11. Right. You get up and you're back in the building at 6 a.m. as a Raider after all of this debacle. Like, I just think you got to give him some credit on top of the fact that I saw on his Instagram post that he's celebrating six years of sobriety. I just think for a tough day, you know, that's that's that's great for Max. I think he's been through tougher, you know?

30:09Rich Eisen:Yeah, that's his point, right? That he's been forged by something bigger and more difficult to handle than just football and the vagaries of his free agency or, I guess, of this free agency, period. Diana Rossini here on the Rich Eisen Show. So the Raiders are, in fact, still sticking to two ones. Is that what you're essentially hearing right now?

30:37Dianna Russini:on that front yeah yesterday when the story broke i started to reach out to the teams that i knew were in on the on max crosby originally but things so much has changed yeah i mean the cowboys went

30:49Rich Eisen:and they got rashawn gary they're not going to send him back to green bay to try and free you know what i mean like there's there's only so much that can be undone um and i think what's only that could be undone has been undone right um so um i don't know imagine a player was in the

31:04Dianna Russini:package how about that imagine it was two first rounders and and and a raven well here's the thing

31:11Rich Eisen:no doubt how about imagine this imagine if the raiders and all of their spending on monday went up to the cap like right to the cap like they they we see some teams sometimes do this they save some obviously for their uh impending rookies maybe a little bit more for the rest of free agency, maybe a little bit more for a veteran here or there. What if the, you know, Max coming back, put them over the cap? What if that had happened? Right. Like that, that would have been wild.

31:46Dianna Russini:Because today they would be telling, let's just use the example in this fake scenario. Let, Hey, Tyler Linderbaum, that blockbuster, incredible deal you got for a center. Yeah. We're gonna have to change those numbers, you know, or Hey, Washington, go get

32:00Rich Eisen:them you know like well that's the one player they would never throw back in the mix because that so linderbaum that's another thing everyone's saying linderbaum being taken by the raiders that didn't get the ravens going in a certain direction where their feet would have a colder

32:15Dianna Russini:temperature no i talked i talked to people in baltimore last night after all this to try to get that feel of like is there some vengeance here and and they laughed at me um that doesn't mean that's not true it's just like stop like stopping so we we get a little petty when we're on the outside right so it's like what no no I will say this um outside of you know all these people in football messaging and reaching out to get their voices heard on the situation I have felt teams today feeling a little um sort of uptight maybe a little anxious about the players they're bringing in before physicals here or at least they've got physicals coming up I just got I was on a call with a head coach right before I hopped on.

32:56Dianna Russini:Right. And he's bringing a player in, a very important one, who's got a physical this afternoon. He kept going, well, just chill. I'm not reporting anything that we got him because I want to make sure he passes physical. I'm not laughing at the situation, but I think this is a scenario where I think everyone is paying attention. Everyone was, I think, in shock last night. And look, for Max, it's just go back to work. And you're John Spitek and you're like sitting there in your office like, what? You can't write this stuff.

33:23Rich Eisen:Right.

33:24Dianna Russini:And so, look, let's see. Let's see what happens as we get closer to the season. You know, maybe there's a team that decides to do it. You know how he's brilliant. He'll figure something out, I'm sure, if he wants to do it. You know, like everybody goes back to you.

33:38Rich Eisen:Everyone looks at Roseman saying, OK, here comes somebody that had a value of two ones. If there's anybody who's going to jump in and get somebody for lesser value, it's going to be him to swoop in and get that bargain. or Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi mind trick somebody into giving him up for less. But it's entirely possible something does happen before the draft. Micah got traded on the out, but right before the season. So it's entirely possible, right, that this could be put back together in a way. But for two ones, with one of them being 14th overall, I think that ship is totally sailed. Clearly, Diana.

34:13Dianna Russini:Yeah, I think it's going to be hard. I had a GM last night. I said, hey, you in the Max thing? What are you doing? He's like, I'm not calling them. They can call us. Like, you know what I mean? So there's going to be a little of this cat and mouse thing, because right now everyone on the outside's kind of got the upper hand because the Raiders want the business. Now, look, the Raiders are winning in a sense from you still got Max Crosby on your team. That's not a bad consolation prize when you thought that you were shipping the guy off. But they certainly wanted those picks. That's part of their process.

34:47Dianna Russini:The Raiders informed teams that were interested in them, the free agents that they spoke with, as well as their representation, that this isn't a year coming up that they're going all in for a Super Bowl. Of course, everybody wants to go to the Super Bowl. But they're trying to rebuild this thing the right way. And there's got to be a little bit of patience here as we expect them to take that number one overall pick for a quarterback. So now Max is kind of thrusted into a structure or at least an idea of a team that's not really being built for someone like Max Crosby right now. But I still think it doesn't hurt for having a young rookie in there to be around a guy like Max, to see the way you operate as a professional football player in the league at a high level, where he is one of the most respected players.

35:35Dianna Russini:He's definitely won that in terms of everyone wanting Max Crosby on their team.

35:39Rich Eisen:All right, before I let you go, I know your phone's blowing up, And I appreciate your ability to multitask, look down, text saying I'm on with Rich Eisen. Trying to be polite. No, no, no. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Before I let you go, though, what's the scoop with Kyler Murray? When is he going to pop here? What do you got here?

35:57Dianna Russini:Unless Michael Bidwell just woke up today and was like, wait, everyone in football wants my guy. Why are we cutting him? Make this work. I expect him to be released. And I expect the Minnesota Vikings to be the team to probably pounce and try to bring Kyler in for a physical and to meet with him to figure out if this is something that could work. As we know that they really want to bring in a veteran guy. They want to improve that quarterback room as well. Of course, J.J. McCarthy is still there. So I'm expecting that to happen later this afternoon.

36:31Rich Eisen:Diana, thanks for the time. You be well. We'll do this again soon. Appreciate it. Appreciate you. That's Diana Rossini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic right there on The Rich Eisen Show. Let me just say this. All right. What Diana just said about Eric DaCosta starting the wheels on Trey Hendrickson while Max Crosby's still in the building sounds particularly cold. Okay? Like, you and I both audibly reacted, Chris. You as well, TJ. I heard all of us. I mean, like, it's one of those, like, oh, boy. again it's it's it's it's not great right it's a bad look yeah okay it's a bad look yeah man but you know what's worse that you're made the decision organizationally internally group thought all of it you're calling up maybe bashotty and say guess what steve we're we're backing out you've done that you've made this decision you're going to bring in max from somewhere in the building first to tell him or you're going to start trey hendrickson right away before anybody calls him and takes him you understand what i'm saying it's cold-hearted but it's a cold-hearted business i'm not excusing anything it's not the way i would want to run it's not the way i want to do business that's not the way i want to do it for rich eyes and productions that's not the way I want to do it, but I'm just explaining how none of this is official.

38:01Rich Eisen:None of it is official. None of it. You understand? Like, Trey Hendrickson could technically back out of his deal with the Ravens. Last second. Oh, somebody just gave me more. Sorry. It's not official until 4 o 'clock Eastern today. All of it. Everything we just said is all handshake, and it's the way of the world. It's the way we do business in the NFL. Once we verbally agree, it's over. Until the physicals, nothing is happening. And then even after the physicals, it's not official. But man, it's just going to leave a ton of hard feelings everywhere. Already has. Not going to turn back the clock on that.

38:48you know

38:50Rich Eisen:the Ravens might have lost some players in free agency but what they definitely lost as you could hear from everybody is a ton of respect and whenever wherever Max Crosby goes I hope he's happy if he stays put I hope that makes him happy too but wherever he goes when he takes on the Ravens it's going to be lit. And how about this? How's it going to be Tom Brady strolling around on the field if he's calling a Ravens game for Fox?

39:30Rich Eisen:Now when he gets in the booth, I'm sure he's going to be as a pro as pro as he has been nonstop. But this is some hard ass feelings here. They spent 281 million bucks and thinking Crosby was gone. and Crosby could still be gone. Like I said, right now, it doesn't make sense to do anything but hold on to him, welcome him back, put him under the cap, deal with that. As Diana pointed out, they already know it's a long-term game for them. Sure, they could get some players now that could help them now and maybe in long-term, but they got Crosby back. And at the end of the day, if he does play for them and starts sacking everybody under the sun and all their moves get made, this may be the moment where guess what the ravens did the raiders of favor like this is the sort of thing that could be long term forgotten as well as looked at differently we'll never forget it though i know that but it'll be looked at in terms of forgotten as in bad blood because they did him a favor look at him he's still there he's still the condor and they needed him and you know but but they don't have a second first round pick this year.

40:45Rich Eisen:Trust me. I'll be mentioning this when the Ravens are on the clock 14th overall, when I'm on NFL network doing the draft coverage that night, 100%. You know, and I will ask it at one point in time as we're just kicking it around, who could the Raiders have taken here? That would have helped him. Oh yeah. You know? Yeah, you will. And it will be whatever best edge rushers still left on the board that they would have taken to replace Max Crosby. But long story short is it's entirely possible to put this all back together. But right now, the blood is bad. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. Don't go anywhere.

41:18Rich Eisen:We've got Matthew Hasselbeck joining us, top of our number two, to talk about everybody, including Fernando Mendoza, who we hung out with at the combine. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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42:17Rich Eisen:Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities.

42:30Dianna Russini:Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.

42:36Rich Eisen:We'll take your phone calls middle of the next hour. Please hang on. I see everyone's lit. Phone lines are lit. Just hang on. We'll get to you after Matthew Hasselbeck, I promise, because we have some fun to get to here. We're going to join this fray. Let's not lead the way. We're seeing him every now and then, right? You got the Raiders statement again. This is just fantastic. Okay, again, so when this came out, and it's just like, wait a minute, is it real because it's on stationary, Vegas Raiders stationary, and it's just two lines and it's it's it's it's succinct it's weird it's potentially fake but it's real and spectacular all of it right and i understand it's nothing to have fun with because they're miserable well all that's missing was the overhead projector yeah right i mean it very al david it's a very 21st century al davis right you know what i mean uh well well put um so we're we're getting involved in this as well because we we have we have uh statements to issue okay using this as the template.

43:39Rich Eisen:There are new statements that have been made, and we're honored. They chose the Rich Eisen Show to be the vehicle to get it out there. We're content creators and distributors all at the same time, right? R.E.S. Consulting, right? You've been in the game for years. All right, the Seattle Seahawks have a statement to make. No way. There it is. Seattle Seahawks have backed out of throwing a pass in the one-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX. We'll have no further comment at this time. Understandable. They have the same stationary as the Raiders. It's really weird. Even the one Seahawks. Yeah, the one Seahawks.

44:11Rich Eisen:I get that. That makes a lot of sense. Doesn't it make sense? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So they're out. Yeah, they're out. Okay, great. They're out. I don't know if you're happy with that as a Patriot fan. Well, you know, like I said, Dante Hattower makes a tackle anyway. Okay. So we're good. It's not just NFL teams making statements. Oh. The Dallas Mavericks have made a statement. Here we go. The Dallas Mavericks have backed out of trading Luka Doncic. That's weird. They have no further comment at this time. Seems smart. Yeah, smart move. Hey, there they go. This stationary company, they got a great...

44:40Rich Eisen:They're on it. Great thing going. They got great deals with all the leagues. We got more statements. More. No, he's not. Carlos Alcaraz has made a statement. He's backed out of playing tennis with Rich Eisen. Oh, come on. I didn't have further comment at this time from the ATP tour. No way. How about this one? I think after he dropped a set in Indian Wells, Cooper and Susie were there for that. They witnessed Alcarez drop a set. When he got home, I'm like, Coop, he's dropped one set globally, maybe all here, and you saw it. It's here in footsteps. By the way, Cooper played, he played in his high school tennis team, a match where his partner hit the opponent on the fly with a serve.

45:27Rich Eisen:Like, that's my game plan. The strategy. Yeah. I'm sure it was not that's my game plan to get a point against Carl and Cooper knew that's our point it was probably an accident right you never know uh what did wow this is a statement this is oh I don't know if you could take this back it's very old uh the Jenko olive oil company has put out this statement that Sonny Corleone has backed out of his decision to take the Jones Beach Causeway to Carlos house oh wow no further comment at this time because you know what What you do is you keep everything within the family. Right. Don't let anyone know outside the family what you're thinking.

46:06Rich Eisen:That's a great move. So they have no comment. That's well done. Yeah. It's a good thing they backed out of that. That's smart. Can you reverse that one? I don't know. Doesn't matter if it's 4 o 'clock Eastern on a Wednesday. I don't think you can back out of that one. The olive oil company. Look what they did. They massacred my boy. And wow, this is a Rich Eisen show statement. No way. Yeah. How about this one? We got our own statement. Rich Eisen is back out of his take that the Heat should not trade for Giannis. Oh, interesting. We will have no further comment at this time. See? Congrats. Yeah, that's a six-year-old take.

46:40Rich Eisen:See, had they not listened to you and got Giannis, he would have had 90 points in the game like years ago. He might have shot 50 free throws. Yeah. It was well-founded. Yeah. Coming out of the bubble, the Heat almost won it all. Rich, no. You know. It was not. Tyler Hero looked great. He didn't look like Giannis Antetokounmpo. All right, those are the statements. Those are the statements. Brockman, is there a take you'd want to take back? Get my own takes? No. Oh, yeah, no. Every take I've made. The Boston Red Sox are backed out of their choice to not pay Mookie Betts. That's a good one for you.

47:17Rich Eisen:You know I got one. You know I got one. What's yours? The Dallas Cowboys would like to back out of Jerry Jones firing Jimmy Johnson. Okay. Think about how history would have changed. You have further comment at this time. Oh, I got lots. You don't know what he's talking about. I do. We got more rings. I got lots today. Well done to those teams. Just get it off their chest. And we're here for you. We're here for you. I need people on social media to hit us up with their own. Let me see what we miss. I've seen a few of them. But these are real, though. Those are real. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.