BBQ Natural gas quick connect is too tough

I had a quick connect fitting installed on the NG line to my weber BBQ 2 years ago. No issues until I released the quick connect adapter to move my BBQ so I could stain my deck last weekend. I've tried for 30 minutes but cannot for the life of me get the damn quick connect fitting to reconnect! Yes, I'm pulling back the outer sheathing and I see the ball bearings moving nicely, but no matter what I try I cannot get the thing to click shut. I push male end in as far as it will go, but it doesn't seem far enough because the outer sheathing on the female connector (gas line) will not pull up to close. Both sides are 100 percent clear of any debris.

I've tried a lot of force down on the male end and a lot of force up on the female outer sheathing with no luck.

Am I missing something simple? I swore I've used quick connect fittings before and never had this problem.