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Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta addressed the media for the first time since the team’s annual end-of-season press conference at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, March, 1.
Unsurprisingly, he spent most of his time at the podium fielding and answering questions about his ongoing negotiations with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson on a long-term deal.
The March 7 deadline to place one of the franchise tag tenders on a pending unrestricted free agent is just days away and the new league is set to begin shortly thereafter on the 15th.
That means the time to work something out before tough decisions need to be made to clear cap space is running out, however, DeCosta was adamant about not entertaining the possibility of trading Jackson.
“We’ve probably made more trades than just about any other team in the league. Maybe we’re second,” he said. That being said, I covet great players. I covet quarterbacks. And I love Lamar. So that has not factored in one time with me.
While he reiterated that the front office wants “to do what’s best for the club”, they also want to do right and what’s best for Jackson who he says “there’s no doubt about” when it comes to him ranking among the best quarterbacks in the league.
“You can’t win in this league without a strong quarterback. That’s been proven,” DeCosta said. “We want Lamar here, we think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he’s certainly one of our best players. We want him back.”
Ravens Remain Optimistic About Getting a Deal Done
DeCosta said he recently met with Jackson, the two are in constant communication, and that they “both understand the urgency of the situation” as crucial deadlines quickly approach and tough decisions loom that could impact the quality of the team they can surround him with.
“It’s been a good dialogue, a good discussion,” he said. “I’m optimistic; as I continue to be optimistic, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Ravens know all too well what it is like to be a team without an upper-echelon quarterback or even stability at the position but it’s a dilemma that they’re grateful that they haven’t had to deal with in a decade and a half.
“Living in a world without a quarterback is a bad world to live in,” DeCosta said. “I think there are probably a lot of GMs and coaches who would probably say that who are living in that world right now. We’re aware of that. I think we’ve been blessed since 2008 to have Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, and my goal is to continue that.”
He acknowledged that negotiating with a player without the representation of an agent can be a challenge, especially when it comes to one of such a prominent status and pedigree as Jackson.
“I think when you deal with an agent, sometimes you’re able to speak very freely [and] position yourself a certain way,” DeCosta said. “You have different arguments that you can use that maybe you wouldn’t say to a player.”
However, as difficult as it can be at times, it’s not impossible and they proved as much when they signed First-Team All-Pro inside linebacker, Roquan Smith, to a market-setting contract that made him the highest-paid player at his position.
“Every day, you see the commitment, [and] you understand where they’re coming from. So, it’s definitely a different dynamic,” DeCosta said. “It can be challenging, but it’s doable as we’ve proven, and we continue to be optimistic about it.”
Ravens Would Like to Re-Sign Top Impending Free Agents
One of the other top takeaways from DeCosta’s combine presser was about the team’s desire to want to bring back their top players slated to hit the open market aside from Jackson who is expected to get tagged if he isn’t signed to a new deal.
The Ravens have a pair of multi-time Pro Bowl defenders who will be unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins with cornerback Marcus Peters and outside linebacker Justin Houston.
Peters was his first big trade in his first year as the team’s general manager in 2019 and paid immediate dividends as it injected a dangerous playmaking element in the secondary that had been missing for nearly a decade.
“He’s a guy that I hold in very, very high regard,” DeCosta said. “I’ve had a few conversations with Marcus’ agent [Doug Hendrickson], who is a good friend, and Marcus is a great friend. He and I have communicated. That will be ongoing, but that’s a guy that when you talk about ‘true Ravens,’ guys who have done a lot for your team, for me, for the Ravens over the past four years – Marcus is on that list.”
In his three and a half years with the team, the three-time Pro Bowler has recorded 8 interceptions, 25 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries in 37 games according to Pro Football Reference. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL and had a solid bounce-back year in 2022.
After recording just 4.5 sacks in his first year with the team in 2021, Houston found the fountain of youth in 2022 and finished with a team-leading 9.5 sacks. He has also been a tremendous mentor for the team’s young edge defenders and a ‘stalwart’ leader in the locker room.
“He’s a guy that when you talk about the best pass rushers of the last couple decades, you put Justin on that list,” DeCosta said. “He had a great season for us; came up big in some games; he’s a great leader; a hard worker.”
At 34 years old, the four-time Pro Bowler is at the stage in his career where he waits until the offseason program has passed and training camp is either about to begin or is already underway to sign with a team. The past two times he signed with the Ravens, both instances occurred in the summer and DeCosta believes that will most likely “be the case this time as well”.
“Last year, we signed him when I was at the beach – literally on the beach, throwing a football with my son, Jackson – and I got the call from [Houston’s agent] Joel Segal, and the deal was done,” he said. “That was probably July 10th, maybe, so I think you can expect the same, if we go down that road.”
Last season Houston proved that he can be much more effective playing fewer snaps. The team will likely be in a position to deploy him in that manner if he is re-signed since veteran Tyus Bowser and last year’s second-round pick David Ojabo will both be more than a year removed from their respective Achilles tendon tears. Both players returned during the 2022 season and made contributions down the stretch.
DeCosta made it clear that he’d like to have both players back but acknowledged that it could be impacted by what ends happening with Jackson’s contract situation as it would result in some difficult choices.
“I remember, in ’19, when I first took over, I had to make the tough decision to move on from Eric Weddle,” he said. “We lost C.J. [Mosley]. We didn’t sign Terrell [Suggs] and Za’Darius [Smith].
“I almost got run out of town before I was even the GM, basically. Those were hard decisions. And so every season, that new league year opens up, you know that you’re going to take on some water and you’re going to have to make some tough choices about the team because we’re not just trying to win this year. We’re trying to win four years from now as well.”
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