Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti put together a succession plan in 2014, with General Manager Ozzie Newsome agreeing to hand over the job to Eric DeCosta in 2019. No one except DeCosta’s family and close friends knew, with everyone else left questioning why DeCosta kept turning down promotions elsewhere.
“Every once in a while you do get frustrated when someone is like, ‘Man, why didn’t you take that job?’” DeCosta told the team website, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “You can’t say I’m going to be the G.M. here in 2019. That was the toughest part.”
The Ravens announced earlier this year the long-standing plan for DeCosta to become the team’s top decision-maker, though Newsome will remain with the organization. DeCosta previously had not spoken publicly about the promotion.
“I’ll be ready. I think our organization will be ready,” DeCosta said. “I just hope that I can do a good enough job that the organization’s faith in me will be rewarded.”
DeCosta, 46, has big shoes to fill. Newsome built two Super Bowl teams and drafted 18 players who went to the Pro Bowl, including Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.