Ravens GM Eric DeCosta ‘gutted’ that trade for Maxx Crosby fell through

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he was “gutted” having to back out of the Maxx Crosby trade, but he has a responsibility to act in the best interests of owner Steve Bisciotti and the organization.

In a nearly 20-minute news conference Wednesday at the Under Armour Performance Center, DeCosta spoke solemnly and said there were times Tuesday when he was left “speechless” about making a decision that affected many people and teams.

“Nobody’s more upset about this than me — gutted by it, actually,” DeCosta said. “And so a regret, a big regret for me, but we will move on as a football team.”

The Ravens, who agreed to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for Crosby last Friday, brought the 28-year-old into town for a physical Tuesday. However, according to multiple league sources, the Ravens informed the Raiders they couldn’t go through with the deal after reviewing the results of Crosby’s physical.

Crosby had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee in January. All trades are contingent on the players involved passing a physical. During his news conference, DeCosta didn’t mention anything about the physical or specific medical issues involving Crosby that concerned the team.

DeCosta confirmed that the Ravens had Crosby in the building Tuesday, but “couldn’t complete the process” of the trade.

“We were really excited about essentially adding Maxx to our team,” DeCosta said, calling Crosby one of his favorite players in the league. “It’s devastating for me to have that conversation. It’s also very, very hard for the player.”

The Ravens’ handling of the situation has drawn plenty of scrutiny around the league, with some questioning whether they were just looking for an excuse to back out of the deal because they had “buyer’s remorse” about trading two first-rounders for Crosby.

That scrutiny became more pointed Wednesday after the Ravens pivoted quickly and agreed to terms with Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, regarded as the top free agent left on the market.

“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. I understand it,” DeCosta said. “As I said at the beginning, I’ve got a responsibility for the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club. And that’s what we always try to do.

“Every decision we make is based on this idea. ‘Is this the best thing for the Ravens?’”

Asked if he believed the Crosby fallout could impact his relationship with agents and other teams, DeCosta noted that his phone is “still ringing.”

He believes the team’s decision-makers have good relationships around the NFL. Within 24 hours of the Ravens’ deal for Crosby falling through, they had agreed to terms with three outside free agents: Hendrickson, Chicago Bears tight end Durham Smythe and New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins, while re-signing cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

DeCosta maintained that the team began a dialogue with Harold Lewis, Hendrickson’s agent, on Monday, when the Ravens learned that center Tyler Linderbaum would be leaving the organization to sign a deal with the Raiders. He said the idea was to potentially pair Hendrickson with Crosby.

That would have been difficult to pull off, however, given the cost of both players. League sources told The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini on Tuesday that as part of the proposed trade for Crosby, the Ravens were prepared to sign him to a revised contract that would have paid him near the top of the pass rusher market. Crosby’s agent, CJ LaBoy, disputed that report.

— Dianna Russini contributed to this story.