Ravens Back Out of Deal

On Monday, NFL teams, agents, and players officially began negotiating new contracts and trades. However, any deals made don't become official until Wednesday at 4 PM est., after players pass their physicals.

An agreement on a blockbuster move was announced Monday that sent one of the league's top pass rushers, Maxx Crosby, from the Raiders to the Ravens for two first-round picks.

On Tuesday, Crosby went to Baltimore, met with coaches, and had his physical. Although the Ravens were aware of his knee surgery when they committed to the trade, they apparently didn't like what they saw, and Crosby failed his physical. The Ravens then backed out of the trade, and Crosby has returned to the Raiders.

Despite the Ravens having the right to do what they did, since the trade was only a verbal commitment and not official yet, the move hasn’t been well received by the NFL community, including fans, media, current and former GMs, and agents.

Things got even more interesting and questionable after the Ravens pivoted to sign free-agent and former Bengals standout edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year deal. Now, everyone is wondering whether the reason they failed Crosby's physical was that they preferred the deal with Hendrickson, since they didn't have to give up any picks to get him. 

The reality is, the Ravens can stand by their decision and reasoning for moving on from Crosby because of health concerns and their unwillingness to take the risk given his injury status, but that doesn't change how people view the Ravens now. 

Many are accusing them of having buyer's remorse and are upset by the damage that unwinding a trade causes others. There is a huge ripple effect from their decision, as other player movement resulted after the previously agreed-upon Crosby trade. 

Ultimately, the conversation surrounding this wild situation is that the Ravens have broken people's trust by backing out of and rescinding the deal they had planned with the Raiders.

During negotiations and verbal agreements, trust and living up to commitments are huge. With bad optics stemming from perceived bad business practices, the Ravens are now unfavorably viewed by some.

Again, even if the Ravens had good reason for doing what they did in this situation, other teams and agents will be hesitant to work with them, knowing they might back out of their commitments.

The Ravens made a decision they felt was best for their franchise, but unfortunately, they had given their word, and others involved had planned accordingly.

I think it's fair to question the Ravens for putting the Raiders and Crosby in an unfavorable position. At the same time, there should be an understanding of changed circumstances, with decisions re-evaluated, new information presented, and tough choices made.

Nobody likes it when something like this happens, and grace is required when it does. However, in our own lives, we must all do our best to avoid getting too deep into a situation where we have to back out of our commitments. Yes, there are certain circumstances where it’s wise to do so, and we can justify our reasoning. Still, we also have to be careful about selfishness and a lack of integrity, and how our decisions not to follow through negatively affect others.

Remembering the golden rule can actually help us with this, as Jesus says in Matthew 7:12 (NLT), “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Throughout our lives, how many times have we changed our minds because a better option came along and we left people hanging that were counting on us…or bailed on a good cause when it was time to come through with our time and money…or made a promise to our child or spouse that we’d be there, but didn't show up?

Can people really trust us? Do they consider us reliable? Do we actually follow through on what we say we'll do? 

We can also raise similar concerns about our faith because when we say we're committing our lives to Jesus, we commit to following His way and living differently.

Although that should be a big deal, sinful opportunities can entice us, and we can easily waver when selfish desires pop up, and we don't feel like following Jesus. In the moment, something else sounds better. The challenge each day is to remain fully committed to His Word and His way.

The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV), "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth."

Deuteronomy 23:23 (MSG paraphrase) tells us, "If you say you're going to do something, do it. Keep the vow you willingly vowed to God, your God. You promised it, so do it."

Today, let's be encouraged to keep our word and commitments and ask God to help us do so. As we seek God in prayer, He gives us wisdom and clarity for all the decisions we need to make. Let’s ask Him to help us avoid saying yes to “deals” we won’t be able to come through on. As we follow Him in obedience, He helps our lives reflect integrity, so that our words and actions match.

I'm Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for the areas of my life where I’ve lacked commitment. Please help me to do what I say I’m going to do. Give me the strength to be a fully committed follower of Jesus and to be dependable to the people in my life. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.