The Las Vegas Raiders got royally screwed by the Baltimore Ravens on the eve of the 2026 NFL league year. Baltimore backed out of a trade between the two sides involving superstar Maxx Crosby that had been practically set in stone for days, and the whole situation smells very fishy to everyone.
Not only did the decision to bail put Las Vegas in an awfully tricky position as they navigate their salary cap situation after a big spending spree on Monday, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of Raider Nation, for obvious reasons. Something wasn't adding up, and the Ravens had been too quiet.
Well, Baltimore's general manager, Eric DeCosta, the reported ringleader behind this circus, finally broke his silence on Wednesday afternoon. And his comments about Crosby are going to send Raiders fans over the edge. Here's the non-answer that he opened with when asked about Crosby:
"We were really excited about adding Maxx -- potentially adding Maxx -- to our team. I had already begun discussions with John Spytek. Those discussions continued, we were really thinking that we were gaining some traction. We did. I would say, as part of the normal trade process ... You bring the player in, and you try to get as much information as you can. We did that, and we were not able to complete the process of acquiring the player, based on our assessment of the situation."
Thanks for the clarity, Eric. Not.
Eric DeCosta's presser was as infuriating as Raiders fans thought it'd be
DeCosta continued to ramble on about the speculation that the Ravens decided to pursue free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson at a price of $28 million instead of giving up two first-round picks to acquire Crosby at the same price.
"In many different ways, I think, for us, [trading for Crosby] was going to be our biggest foundational acquisition this year. So, I didn't really look at them as, 'Oh, we'll do this because of that.' No, it was really more, 'How do we get better as a football team?' In terms of Trey, I think, we came to a point, probably after we lost Tyler [Linderbaum], where, as we're 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 some discussions with he and his agent, thinking that, potentially, we could have two pass-rushers on the defensive line on both sides of the line. I think it was disappointing to us, and probably, in a way, potentially, disappointing to Trey as well."
"I think." "Probably." "Kind of." "Potentially."
Are we supposed to feel bad or something?
Now, DeCosta can't fool anyone with the idea that he was trying to pair Crosby and Hendrickson. He's just covering his tracks. The Ravens currently have $60 million in salary cap space, and if they paid both edge rushers, they would have only $4 million left to pay their draft class and fill out their roster.
Even though Hendrickson claims that he had no knowledge of Crosby's trade falling through, he and his camp had to wonder why the Ravens suddenly wanted to negotiate after already diverting a heavy amount of resources to Crosby just days prior. DeCosta then reaffirmed that he wanted both players.
But he did something far worse after that: Patronized the Raiders.
"I should say, I've got a lot of respect for Mark Davis, the Raiders, John Spytek. Shoot, Al Davis was born in Brockton, Mass. I've always admired that; I'm from Massachusetts, right down the street. I love the Raiders. They've been one of my favorite teams," DeCosta said. "It's tough; it's challenging. It was devastating for me to have that conversation. I'm sure it was 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 hardest for him, more than anybody else."
RELATED: Adam Schefter drops a Maxx Crosby nugget that has Raiders fans screaming 'BS'
One reporter then asked DeCosta how he is handling the outside noise about the conspiracies of his wrongdoing or if the Ravens' frontman would like to acknowledge them. He touched on them, but obviously didn't give credence to any of them, gaslighting Raiders fans along the way.
"I understand it. I understand it. We live in that age of skepticism and people question, especially that don't really know me or know the Ravens culture and Ravens organization. So, I understand it. As I said at the beginning, I've got a responsibility to the Ravens. To the community, to our fans, and to Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club."
Then, DeCosta somehow did something even worse: Played the victim.
"Again, I understand how people might, maybe from a far, would feel that way, but nobody is more upset about this than me. (I'm) gutted by it, actually," DeCosta said. "A big regret, for me. But we will move on as a football team."
Spare me.
DeCosta loved to use terms like "agreed to -- potentially" in this interview and rarely made eye contact with reporters. He looked sheepish, and although reporters on NFL Network thought he looked somber, Raider Nation isn't buying that.
Fans should be livid hearing this press conference. It was all a ruse. DeCosta and the Ravens will have their metaphorical day in NFL court, and hopefully, the football gods will stick by Las Vegas, for once, in the aftermath of this ridiculous event it is going through.
Justice will be served, in whatever form that may be in. Hopefully, soon.