Trey Hendrickson

By Wednesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens had a deal with Trey Hendrickson, their two first-round picks back — and some explaining to do.

Hendrickson agreed on a four-year, $112 million contract with the Ravens, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract wasn’t finalized. Baltimore landed the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher a day after backing out of a blockbuster trade for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby of the Raiders.

A person with knowledge of Baltimore’s decision told the AP that Crosby failed his physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because those results are private.

When the Ravens were able to pivot quickly to Hendrickson, that opened them up to even more suspicion over how they’d handled the previous few days.

“We live in that age of skepticism, and people question — especially people that don’t really know me or know the Ravens’ culture and the Ravens organization. So I understand it,” Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said Wednesday. “I’ve got a responsibility to the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to (owner) Stephen Bisciotti, to do what we think is best for the club.”

Baltimore was going to send two first-round draft picks to Las Vegas for Crosby before the deal fell through.

“You bring the player in, you try to get as much information as you can,” DeCosta said. “We did that, and we were not able to complete the process of acquiring the player, based on our assessment of the situation.”

DeCosta called Crosby one of his favorite players in the NFL and said he was probably going to be the team’s most important acquisition this year. He also said the Ravens talked with Hendrickson after losing free agent center Tyler Linderbaum — to the Raiders, ironically.

Chubb going to Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills’ search for an established pass rusher led them to reaching a three-year agreement to sign Bradley Chubb, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because Chubb had yet to sign. ESPN.com first reported the agreement.

Chubb’s agreement with Buffalo came shortly after the Miami Dolphins announced his release. The team previously announced its intentions to cut Chubb as part of a major roster turnover last month.

Also, Bills quarterback Josh Allen agreed to restructure his contract in a move that frees up approximately $12 million in much-needed salary cap space for the team entering the NFL’s new year, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Eve?

The NFL is considering adding a game the day before Thanksgiving to this season’s schedule as it continues to explore additional broadcast windows.

The possibility of a Thanksgiving Eve game was first reported by ESPN.

The three Thanksgiving Day games are among the most watched during the regular season. Last year’s slate averaged 44.7 million viewers, surpassing the 2024 mark of 34.5 million.

The late-afternoon game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys on CBS averaged 57.2 million, making it the most-watched NFL regular-season game on record. The previous record was 42.1 million for the 2022 game between the Cowboys and New York Giants.

Elsewhere:

-The Colts brought back quarterback Daniel Jones on a two-year deal worth up to $100 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

-The Minnesota Vikings cleared salary cap space taken by their failed strategy for contending last season, releasing defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on Wednesday one year after those veterans were a prominent part of a free agent spending spree.

-The San Francisco 49ers added some needed help for their pass rush, acquiring defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys for a third-round pick on Wednesday The 49ers are also bringing back tight end Jake Tonges. He agreed on Wednesday to a two-year, $8 million deal with $5.5 million guaranteed instead of becoming a restricted free agent, according to his agent Steve Caric.

-The Washington Commanders agreed to terms with edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal, safety Nick Cross and tight end Chig Okonkwo, a person with knowledge of the moves told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

-The Carolina Panthers announced on Wednesday they’ve agreed to terms with free agent wide receiver John Metchie.

-The New Orleans Saints traded punter Kai Kroeger and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick to Houston on Wednesday for the Texans’ 2028 sixth-round draft choice.

-Micah McFadden on Wednesday signed a one-year deal worth up to $5.75 million to return to the New York Giants.