NFL teams
Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

WR Ryan Grant fails physical, deal with Ravens voided

NFL, Baltimore Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens voided their four-year, $29 million agreement with wide receiver Ryan Grant after he failed a physical Thursday and will turn their attention to Michael Crabtree, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Ravens failed Grant on his physical over an ankle injury that dated to the Redskins' final regular-season game, a source told Schefter.

Grant, 27, reached an agreement in principle Tuesday that included $14.5 million guaranteed, but he will now have to find a team that will pass him on his physical. He has never missed a game in his four-year NFL career.

Baltimore has scheduled a visit on Friday with Crabtree, who was released by Oakland on Thursday after the Raiders signed Jordy Nelson. Crabtree would fill the possession receiver role that the Ravens had envisioned for Grant.

The Ravens struck a deal with Grant on Tuesday after many of the top free-agent wide receivers signed elsewhere. He was given the second-biggest contract ever to a wide receiver in franchise history despite producing only 84 catches for 985 yards receiving in his four-year career with the Washington Redskins.

The plan was for Grant and wide receiver John Brown to take their physicals Thursday and attend a news conference later that day. But there was an issue with Grant's physical, which caused the Ravens to walk away from the deal.

Brown, the former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, passed his physical and signed a one-year, $5 million contract. He has a Sickle Cell trait and missed six games last season due to quadriceps, back and toe injuries.

The Ravens will now meet with Crabtree, who has a history with the team. In the Super Bowl five years ago, Colin Kaepernick threw a fourth-and-goal pass to Crabtree late in the fourth quarter that fell incomplete. Crabtree has long contended it was pass interference by Jimmy Smith on the critical play that led to the Ravens' 34-31 championship triumph. He has dominated the Ravens in the three meetings to follow, catching five touchdown passes (the most against Baltimore over that span).

Crabtree, 30, caught 58 passes for 618 yards last season for the Raiders. But he did catch at least eight touchdowns for the third straight season.

The turn of events with Grant isn't the first time the Ravens have backed out of an agreement because of a medical issue. In 1997, the Ravens were set to introduce Cowboys safety Brock Marion at a news conference before X-rays revealed a problem in his left shoulder. Marion went on to play for another seven NFL seasons.

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