The Ravens are facing heat for backing out of a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby, but they deny any funny business occurred. Despite agreeing to terms on a deal that would see the Raiders send them Crosby for two first-round picks, they ultimately canceled the agreement. By their account, it stems from the physical examination of Crosby’s knee, who is recovering from meniscus surgery.
“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”, GM Eric DeCosta told reporters yesterday, addressing the Crosby trade that fell through. “Nobody is more upset about this than me. I am gutted by it, actually. [This is] a big regret for me”.
Part of the reason many question the Ravens’ true intentions is because after canceling the Maxx Crosby trade, they turned around and signed Trey Hendrickson. It wasn’t obvious that they would have a shot at him, but they didn’t have to trade draft picks. To hear DeCosta tell it, however, the two pursuits were (mostly) mutually exclusive. He even suggested that they could have added both. But how will this affect their reputation in other front offices?
“It hasn’t stopped my phone from ringing; I’ll tell you that”, DeCosta said when asked about the Ravens’ perception by other teams in the wake of their backing out of the Maxx Crosby trade. “I think our relationship with agents and with other teams is really, really good. I understand the question. I think that GMs understand the importance of getting as much information as possible before making decisions”.
The Ravens have needed a star pass rusher, which prompted the Maxx Crosby trade in the first place. While the timing and optics are bad, however, Baltimore has a history of stringent physicals. Still, many insiders spoke to front office personnel in the immediate aftermath of the news, and many seemed very surprised by how things unfolded. In so many words, they were questioning how the Ravens handled the situation.
The Ravens registered just 30 sacks last season after putting up 53 the year before. Crosby had a 10-sack season last year despite playing through injury. He played through it most of the season and was furious when the Raiders put him on IR in December. The seven-year veteran has made five straight Pro Bowls and commands among the most attention in the league by opposing offenses. That’s the kind of impact they were looking for, but questioned whether he could still deliver it after his injury.
Or at least, the Ravens weren’t willing to trade two first-round picks to find out what Maxx Crosby had left. It very well may be that he’ll play at an All-Pro level this year. But based on their medical examination at the time, they weren’t willing to risk such pivotal resources.
“It was a really, really, really tough call”, the Ravens GM said, to pull out of the Crosby trade. “There were moments yesterday when, honestly, I was probably speechless, just sitting in my chair in my office and just thinking about what the next step would be and trying to get as much information as possible”.
The question is, how will history record this sequence of events—at least to those whose opinions matter? There will probably always be a public perception, at some level, of underhandedness. Two other general managers think Baltimore made excuses to back out on their word? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because the trade wasn’t finalized. Every signing is contingent upon a player passing a physical, so they did nothing wrong. Wrong in an objective sense doesn’t matter, though, if it discourages others from doing business with you.
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