Ravens GM Eric DeCosta's Reputation Blasted by NFL Insiders After Backing Out of Maxx Crosby Trade

The Baltimore Ravens agreed to trade their 2026 and 2027 first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive end Maxx Crosby, but they pulled back on the deal after concerns arose during a physical, per ESPN's Ryan McFadden.

Reportedly, people around the league aren't thrilled with the Ravens' decision, and Rich Eisen mentioned on his show Wednesday that some folks around the league have spoken about Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta since the news broke (8:24 mark).

"And a lot of people around the league are saying, Eric DeCosta is who we think he is," Eisen said. "He's a guy that you need to, you know, side-eye a little bit."

Crosby had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee last January. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, provided an update on Crosby after the Ravens backed out of the deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"Maxx Crosby is doing very well in the early part of his rehab and recovery from surgery to treat a significant meniscus tear and the related stress injury to the bone and cartilage in his knee. He is certainly on track in his planned program…he feels very well and is already much improved compared to before surgery.

"We truly respect the work of the Ravens staff with Maxx regarding the contract physical exam. We also understand the challenge the staff faces when tasked to provide a future risk assessment based on an evaluation early in the recovery process. This is especially challenging when dealing with an elite player like Maxx considering the level of commitment necessary for a team to obtain him. The timing of this assessment is unfortunate because the apparent risk will lessen as his recovery progresses and his return to performance over the next few months becomes clear.

"At this point, Max is doing an excellent job attacking his rehab and his knee is responding very well. We look forward to Maxx returning to his elite level of performance this season as planned and for several more to come."

There certainly seems to be some negative buzz around the league since Tuesday evening. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network discussed some reaction as well.

"The reaction from other people within the NFL that I am getting is predominantly about how the Ravens pulled the rug out regardless of what their reasoning was," Pelissero said in part.

"This just does not happen. It has happened on multiple other occasions in the past, on much smaller trades or agreements involving the Ravens.

"However, when you're talking about trading two first-round picks, this is not an unknown issue with Maxx Crosby. Everyone knew he had a knee injury. Everyone knew he finished on injured reserve. Everyone knew, based on Ian's reporting, that he had a meniscus surgery that was actually not just a trim, but a meniscus repair that has a longer-term type of a timeline.

"But that did not stop several teams from offering a first-round pick and more as part of a trade offer. It did not stop the Ravens from offering two first-round picks. This is not a situation where it's you put in a bid in an online auction, then if you don't like the item, you return it via Amazon. This is a trade involving a superstar player in the NFL. Clearly, they came to the conclusion that there was something they were not comfortable with..."

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided more insight from the Ravens' side of things.

"The Ravens wanted this to work," Rapoport said in part.

"They wanted Maxx Crosby to be on their team. They wanted to send two first-round picks to the Raiders for the rights to one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.

"They wanted it all to happen, and when it seemed like it was falling apart, they still tried to make it work. They just were not comfortable with the medical."

Ultimately, both sides have moved on quickly.

The Ravens got the best pass-rusher (and arguably the best player, period) on the free agent market by adding Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year, $112 million deal.

As for the Raiders, they are bringing Crosby back in the mix, and he'll continue his rehab, per Rapoport. Of course, Las Vegas could still trade Crosby to another team in theory, but the asking price could remain high "at this time," per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

But the plan seems to be for him to remain in Vegas.

Las Vegas has had a huge offseason, bringing in center Tyler Linderbaum, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, defensive end Kwity Paye and kicker Matt Gay.

The Raiders also have a new head coach (ex-Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak) and are in line to select their new quarterback at No. 1 overall in the draft in Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.

So they could be in line to break through an ugly two-year streak that's seen the team go 7-27. A healthy Crosby could play a big part in that now.