The NFL world is still reeling over the ripple effects of the Maxx Crosby trade falling through. Instead of Crosby being sent from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens, he's stuck in Vegas until another team comes calling, if they're able to trade him given the medical baggage he comes with.
At the very least, the Raiders are not going to receive as much draft capital in return in a new trade, but the Ravens also did them dirty. They backed out of the trade to sign Trey Hendrickson, which was a cowardly attempt from Eric DeCosta to recoup two first-rounders and still land a star pass-rusher.
For as much as the Raiders may feel hosed by some Draft Day-esque antics from DeCosta, it's great news for the Atlanta Falcons. Hendrickson agreeing to terms on a four-year, $112 million deal with the Ravens means that thankfully, he won't be returning home to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers have been making Falcons fans worry with their incessant spending in free agency, at least the Dirty Birds have one division rival they can laugh at. The Bucs already lost Mike Evans, so them missing out on Hendrickson makes Atlanta's life easier.
The Maxx Crosby trade was able to kill the Bucs' hopes of signing Trey Hendrickson
Like Hendrickson, five-time Pro Bowler was also a candidate to land in Tampa Bay, so while this could still happen, it looks wildly unlikely. Basically, their pursuit of an instant-impact pass-rusher is all but over unless they want to pay a hefty price for Crosby, and it would be surprising to see them do that.
The Bucs are looking to capitalize on their win-now window, but if other teams are having some (bogus) concerns about Crosby, you'd think they would too. Even if it isn't very scary, he is expected to be sidelined until June or July because of the knee injury that stripped him of a few games at the end of the season.
What would you rather have, Hendrickson and two-first rounders, or Crosby? For as in bad faith the Ravens' antics were, I know my answer. But back to the Bucs, since they were gonna have to fend off the Colts, Eagles, Bengals, and potentially the Cowboys to agree to terms on a deal with the All-Pro.
The 31-year-old is older than Crosby though and is also coming off of an injury, but he comes with far less risk. Either way, the Bucs had a much better shot of signing Hendrickson, a Florida native who played at FAU and lives close by during the offseason, than acquiring Crosby, so this is a win.
Hendrickson signing with Baltimore took away the Bucs' top free agent target, so assuming they make no more major signings, the Falcons' hopes of winning the NFC South are looking a lot better--even if they still have the Panthers and Saints to worry about.