GM DeCosta evades questions about QB Jackson
Wednesday’s predraft news conference involving Ravens decision-makers loomed as general manager Eric DeCosta’s first opportunity to publicly address Lamar Jackson’s recent public trade request.
But DeCosta, coach John Harbaugh and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz largely avoided any in-depth discussion of the offseason’s dominant storyline, citing their desire to keep the focus on their preparations for the upcoming NFL draft, which is scheduled to begin April 27, rather than their star quarterback.
At the start of the session with the media, a team spokesperson requested that reporters ask questions pertaining to the draft. When the first question directed at DeCosta sought his reaction to Jackson’s tweet on March 27
that claimed the Ravens have “not been interested in meeting my value,” DeCosta showed an elusiveness the mobile quarterback might have envied.
“I understand the need to ask those kinds of questions,” he said. “I think just out of respect for the process, this is a draft luncheon, and we’re going to try to keep as much of this discussion as we can to the draft, to the coming weeks, building the best football team we can. So I understand those questions. I think we’ve spoken about this situation probably five different times this spring in various different press conferences and such. So we’re going to try to just kind of defer to those questions and move forward to the draft.”
Three questions later, DeCosta was asked if he had a preferred outcome regarding contract negotiations between the team and Jackson before the draft.
“I think the things that we control really [are] getting the list, the draft board set, evaluating the players as best as possible, being aware of the players, the free agents that are available now and post-draft, who are the players that we might have a chance to bring in post-draft that can make us a better football team as well,” he replied. “And then doing the best job we can in terms of recruiting free agents. Our scouts do a phenomenal job of that, our coaches do a great job of that and just putting ourselves in a position to win
draft weekend.”
When the next inquirer began a question referencing Jackson, the same team spokesperson interrupted and reminded the assembled media that “this is about the draft” and “we’re not going to answer any more questions today” about Jackson.
DeCosta did say, however, that the uncertainty around the team’s quarterback position did not alter his evaluation of the quarterback draft class — “we really do try to build a board that’s really ‘best player available,’ ” he said — and that they are not ruling out taking a quarterback in the first round. The Ravens have the No. 22 pick.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young are projected to be picked at the top of the draft, with Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis likely to follow shortly thereafter. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker — just one year younger than Jackson at age 25 and coming off a season-ending torn ACL — could be available when the Ravens are on the clock.
“It depends on the board, it really does. I’d have to say yes because we have quarterbacks in our top 31,” DeCosta said. “So just based on that alone, simple math, I would have to say yes.”
The unusual display was a marked departure from Harbaugh’s meeting with local and national reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix last week when the first 26 questions centered on Jackson’s tweet and the coach answered each one without acrimony or bitterness. Wednesday’s development was perhaps the latest sign that fatigue regarding the two sides’ nearly two-year inability to hammer out a long-term contract had reached the upper echelon of the organization.
The team assigned the nonexclusive tag on Jackson, the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, on March 7.
The move was applauded in some corners because the Ravens could match any offer sheet Jackson signed with another team or decline and receive two first-round draft picks.
And at $32.4 million, the nonexclusive tag was about $13 million cheaper than the exclusive tag, which would have prevented Jackson from finding out his value on the market.
“I would say there’s probably more than four guys that can be significant quarterbacks in this league in this draft class,” DeCosta said.
Here are other takeaways from the news conference: