Eric DeCosta ‘Gutted’ to Lose Maxx Crosby; Explains Ravens’ Trade Process

DeCosta denied that the Ravens backed out of the Crosby deal because they got cold feet, as some media reports have claimed.

“I understand it,” DeCosta said. “We live in that age of skepticism, and people question things, especially people that don’t really know me or know the Ravens culture and the Ravens organization.

“As I said at the beginning, we’ve got a responsibility – I’ve got a responsibility – to the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to [Owner] Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club. Nobody is more upset about this than me. I am gutted by it, actually… But, we will move on as a football team.”

DeCosta pushed back against the idea that the Crosby deal will make some teams reluctant to conduct business with Baltimore, mentioning the strong reputation the Ravens have built around the league for decades.

“It hasn’t stopped my phone from ringing, I’ll tell you that,” DeCosta said. “I think our relationship with agents and with other teams is really, really good. I think that GMs understand the importance of getting as much information as possible before making decisions.

“Everybody that works with agents would say that we’re a class organization that does business the right way, [are] respectful and willing to get deals done.”