In one of the absolute wildest turn of events we've ever seen in this league, Wednesday night, the Baltimore Ravens stunned the world by pulling out of their trade to acquire star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
It was a bombshell of epic proportions, and it had the NFL landscape off its rocker all night long.
Thus far, everybody has their own opinions on why exactly the Ravens made this decision. Even the top NFL insiders were reporting varying information, which made this all the more confusing and unprecedented.
One of the common threads in all of this, though, is the fact that Baltimore may have put a target on its back going forward. From NFL Network's insider Cameron Wolfe:
"One NFL general manager told me everybody involved in Maxx Crosby trade talks knew he would be out until June/July coming off meniscus surgery.
Consensus opinion I’ve got from NFL decision makers: Ravens got cold feet & it could impact how other teams work w/ BAL going forward."
And that's putting it nicely.
Eric DeCosta and the Baltimore Ravens just made the rest of the NFL wary of future collaboration
Several other media members have reported similar thoughts, except there have been a few that have gone much more of a no-filter route. The fact of the matter is, this is going to paint an extremely negative tone around the Baltimore organization. There is no other way around it.
We have seen tons of information and opinions come out about Crosby's medicals and, while we may never know the God's-honest truth on that front, the tea leaves provide plenty of room for speculation.
If "everyone" involved in the Crosby trade talks knew he would be out until summer, why on earth would he be able to pass a physical right now?
This is just the silliest of all ideas, when you peel back a little bit and observe from afar. It seems like pure common sense. A player who is just a couple of months into recovery from meniscus surgery obviously isn't going to walk into a room and pass a physical with flying colors.
That simply isn't going to happen.
In a word: "Duh."
There has to be more to the story. And, as we've learned in this highly-unique scenario, we really may never know the truth. If we're seeing different things reported from the likes of the most well-respected insiders in the league, today, then how or when will we ever know the full truth?
The fact of the matter is, though, that the Ravens have sent a message, and it's not a positive one. If there is one thing that the majority of insiders agree on, when looking around at all of the most recent reports, it's the idea that Baltimore may have struck nervousness or even borderline fear into the hearts of 31 other teams.
It's going to be difficult for any front office to trust Eric DeCosta going forward.