After Maxx Crosby Saga, DeCosta Was ‘Back in His Happy Place’ at the Draft
For a few days last month, the Ravens thought their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks would become the property of the Las Vegas Raiders. All that was left to make the blockbuster trade for edge rusher Maxx Crosby official was a physical.
We all know how that turned out. Crosby is still a Raider, and the Ravens were on the clock with the 14th-overall pick on Thursday night.
DeCosta and the Ravens were criticized for the deal falling through, but The Athletic’s Michael Silver said the aborted trade has “finally been relegated to the secondary-storyline department” and that DeCosta was “back in his happy place” at the draft.
“Eric DeCosta did what he had to do because, after reviewing three doctors’ assessments of Crosby’s recently repaired left knee, he believed acquiring the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end posed too much of a risk,” Silver wrote. ” … Technically, the trade couldn’t become official until the league year began, meaning either side could change its mind for any reason.
“Upon arriving in Maryland that Tuesday Crosby, who’d had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, underwent a physical exam that included a series of imaging tests. After consulting with the Ravens’ team physician — and those of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants — DeCosta became uncomfortable with the prognosis. He sat in his office, struggling with the choice that awaited him: Honor the deal, and assume what he now viewed as a significant risk, or be the bogeyman who blew it up.
“He called Bisciotti in the Bahamas, telling him, ‘I’m not sure if you want to sit down for this, but it’s not good news.’ Bisciotti gulped and asked for half an hour to consider the situation, after which he called back and agreed with his GM that the best course of action was to renege.”
Recalling the situation, Bisciotti said: “We knew we were going to take a huge hit, so we did not do it lightly. I said, ‘I understand the firestorm you’re walking into.’ It was very tough for him, because he’s the one that takes the bullets.”
The fallout included hot takes that teams would be reluctant to do business with the Ravens in the future.
“I do get phone calls from GMs. I do talk to agents often about deals. I have GMs who are calling me about trades,” DeCosta told Silver. “So I think maybe that storm has subsided, and we’re open for business again.”
Case in point: The Ravens made a trade during the draft, sending a fifth-round pick and 2027 sixth-rounder to the San Francisco 49ers to move up 21 spots and grab Hibner.
“That narrative,” DeCosta said, “can no longer be repeated.”
