Late Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Raiders suddenly announced that the Baltimore Ravens had officially withdrawn from their trade involving two first-round draft picks for Maxx Crosby.
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At first, it was believed that the franchise had issues with Crosby’s inability to pass a physical exam following his meniscus surgery, but with the Ravens immediately turning around and signing Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112-million contract the very next day, many have begun to cry foul.
The verdict is still out as to whether or not the Ravens acted in bad faith throughout the process, but according to the team’s general manager, Eric DeCosta, their original plan was actually to sign both Crosby and Hendrickson.
“We came to a point after we lost Tyler [Linderbaum] where, as we were trying to find the best way for us to get better as a football team, Trey kind of made a lot of sense as a possible guy to look at. So, we started conversations with the organization thinking potentially we’d have two pass rushers on both sides of the line.”
DeCosta then doubled down by clarifying that they did in fact want both pass rushers, and even went as far as to suggest that “it was disappointing to us and potentially, probably even disappointing to Trey as well” that the trade for Crosby fell through.
Ravens GM recalls informing the Raiders of their withdrawal
One of the more pressing questions of the emergency press conference that the Ravens held in order to address the ordeal resided in how DeCosta and the rest of the front office went about informing the Raiders of their decision to withdraw from the transaction. After noting that he has “a lot of respect for Mark Davis and the Raiders,” DeCosta answered by simply explaining that “it wasn’t just one conversation” and that the entire process lasted “a full day span.”
“The Raiders have been one of my favorite teams. It’s tough. It’s challenging. It’s devastating for me to have that conversation and I’m sure it’s challenging for them to hear as well. It’s also very, very, very hard for the player to hear that as well, and it’s probably the hardest for him than anybody else.”
For better or worse, the Ravens and Raiders will now head their separate ways as they both look to continue their respective quests throughout the remainder of the offseason. Given the sheer amount of drama that’s erupted from their failed trade efforts, it seems rather safe to suggest that it’ll be a while before these two even consider the possibility of doing business with each other again.
