The Ravens have a reputation of using physicals to wiggle out of trades and according to league insider Jason La Canfora, the Raiders are just the latest to get burned by the current brass in Baltimore.
“Multiple general managers and top execs told me they strongly believed the Ravens, after losing a bevvy of core players early in free agency, and finding the market for pass rusher Trey Hendrickson softer than some expected, simply pivoted to the cheaper alternative and used the medicals as an excuse,” La Canfora reported on Thursday.
“A combination of ‘cold feet’ and ‘total bull***’ is how the industry viewed the Ravens actions, but it hardly came as a surprise to many of them, and, those execs believe, should not have shocked the Raiders, either.”
“‘You have to know who you’re dealing with,’ said one NFL general manager who was pursuing Crosby as well. The NFL GM continued: ‘Those guys have used the physical to get out of deals before. They had never traded a one (first-round pick) for a player, ever, and now they’re going to trade two for a 29-year-old coming off surgery? The agents knew there was a chance Baltimore would pull out of this thing. It’s not like it’s out of character.’”
It’s worth noting that La Canfora seems to have an awful relationship with the current leadership in the Ravens’ building (and he’s an interesting character himself), but it doesn’t mean the report isn’t accurate. The majority of the league, outside of those most likely working to keep sources in the Ravens’ building, seems to be in agreement on the stunt the Ravens pulled last week.
Not only did Ravens GM Eric DeCosta disrespect Crosby by not meeting with him during his five-hour visit, but there’s also a good chance the Ravens had moved on from Crosby before he even entered the building.
On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini said that while Crosby was in the Ravens’ facility on Tuesday, the Ravens were already reaching out to Trey Hendrickson’s representatives to work out a deal.
“I think the reason why the Ravens are taking so much heat and why the Raiders are obviously mad about this is it seems fishy that Trey Hendrickson… that those conversations started yesterday,” Russini said on the Rich Eisen Show.
“I can tell you that the Ravens spoke to Trey Hendrickson yesterday while Maxx Crosby was in the building. So that tells you that they were aware that something was going on… Maxx Crosby was there not knowing he was a dead man walking, that this was not going to be his team. That’s the problem here.”
x: @raidersbeat
Laconfora was the same insider who was telling people Jim Harbaugh wasn’t going back to Michigan & was staying in the pro’s
DeCosta just looks like he’s a shady dude. Me being a Raiders fan..I say fk DeCosta and the whole Raiders front office. Im not necessarily so mad they backed out cause in reality signing Hendrickson instead of giving up 2 1s for Maxx was the better deal…my problem is DeCosta and their Front Office blaming it on a failed physical. That lie makes other teams think twice about them then trading for Maxx. Just be honest and call Spytex and Maxx the day before the physical and tell them..”hey we’ve decided to go this route instead of going thru with this trade. Sorry but it is what it is”. That would’ve been the grown man way to handle it. So thats my beef with DeCosta and the Ravens front office.
ravens should be black listed by every other team.
1. FERNANDO MENDOZA
36. MAX IHEANACHOR
67. DANI DENNIS-SUTTON
102. ANTONIO WILLIAMS
117. NICHOLAS SINGLETON
134. ZANE DURANT
175. TACARIO DAVIS
185. RED MURDOCK
208. BISHOP FITZGERALD
219. ERIC GENTRY
Should’ve put Chip Kelly in there