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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast…1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
“NFL Free Agent Updates”
Hot Topics on Table-Stay for Fans Forum
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“RAIDERS-RAVENS..WAR OF WORDS”
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The blockbuster trade of the off season was followed 48-hours later by the blockbuster bulletin…the Raiders deal of star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens was cancelled.
Reverberations everywhere.
Salary cap troubles of big time implications.
Rumors-innuendos-accusations non stop.
The Raiders spent (231M) in free agency to acquire 6-players a day after the Crosby trade for #1-1 draft picks.
Now Crosby and his (30M) salary and his (35.8M) cap figure revert back to the Silver & Black.
The anger Crosby may have shown in the last 3-months, the aftermath of all the losing he has endured for 7-years, may go away. The team he was on last Friday is sure different than the one he could play on this year.
The Raiders may have to ask him to restructure his contract down or extend out to help them with other off season deals they may still want to make.
But the Raiders, who were counting on drafting 1-14-36 at the top of the board, won’t have that luxury.
If Crosby does not want to play there, it’s obvious his market value has dropped. Somebody may offer a #1 but nothing beyond that.
Baltimore doesn’t really get burned in the deal,. They turned around and signed Bengals DE-Trey Hendrickson to a (28M) a year deal, but the reality it, he is not the athlete Crosby is, a different kind of pass rusher who does not play the run very well.
Baltimore is trying to float the story their blueprint was to trade for Crosby and then sign the Bengals pass rusher, but that would have been nearly (60M) in cash for pass rushers-quite pricey considering what they pay the quarterback and their running back.
The rationale for nixing the deal, the Ravens doctors did not like what they saw on the MRI-and-X rays in the aftermath of Crosby’s late season knee surgery. Makes sense even more so now with reports 3-different doctors consulted including an independent surgeon.
It was meniscus surgery to start. But there may be cartilage deterioration there. There may be impending arthritis, considering all the miles on those wheels of that pass rusher. It may be that long term issues would get worse, even if he played this year.
So we sit here now waiting for the Raiders next move, roster related,cap related, draft pick related.
If they keep Mad Maxx, then suddenly they look like a really different defensive team, and they will use their picks to add to the offensive line.
Baltimore is the real mess, not because of the decision, but because they kept their picks, but lost 9-players in the first two days of free agency. They have holes everywhere.
It was wild drama, and the complete story has yet to be told
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