Ravens GM Flattered by John Harbaugh Poaching Free Agents

The Baltimore Ravens head executive isn't bothered by the fact that his former colleague and still close friend has taken an keen interest in the talent they both had a hand in finding and developing.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants coach John Harbaugh speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens are accustomed to seeing some of their top players and coaches depart in the offseason. As one of the NFL's model franchises when it comes to being among the most consistently successful, seeing their roster and coaching staff get raided and pilfered, even coming off one of the rare occasions when they missed the playoffs, shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Anytime a former coach leaves the organization, either by choice for a promotion elsewhere or is let go, it can be widely assumed that they will target some Ravens players, coaches and sometimes even support staff. In the case of former head coach John Harbaugh, who was fired back in January after 18 years at the helm, he has done all the above and then some since being hired as the head coach of the New York Giants.

On the first day of the legal tampering period and the subsequent days that followed, Harbaugh went after and landed four former Ravens players who played and thrived under him in Charm City and will look for them to do the same in the Big Apple.

Most notable among the bunch were six-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, All-Pro punter Jordan Stout, and ascending young tight end Isaiah Likely. All three were given at or near the top of the market deals for their respective positions, and when asked if it bothered him that his former colleague was poaching so many of their prominent players, general manager Eric DeCosta refuted the notion entirely.

“People want our players. It's flattering,” DeCosta said with a smirk. “It means we're doing a good job.” 

While he wishes his very close friend and still neighbor for the time being, the best in his new endeavors, he’d be selling short his affection for his former players if he didn’t admit how much he’ll miss the homegrown talent he helped bring to Baltimore to cultivate.

“I love those guys, you know, and those players that he's gotten, I love those players,” DeCosta said. “I’ve been texting a few of those guys [and] I wish them the best. But again, I think it's hard to lose players, but it means you're doing a good job, and the credit goes to the scouts and the coaches and George and Mark and Nick and all those guys that had a huge part in bringing these guys here, it means we're doing a pretty good job. The challenge is to continue to do that, and we've talked a lot about that this week.”

Ravens plan to continue replenishing roster through the draft

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks after he is selected by the Baltimore Ravens as the number 27 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Even though DeCosta and the front office have been much more aggressive than they historically have been when it comes to acquiring veteran talent in free agency and almost via trade with Maxx Crosby, they still firmly believe that the NFL Draft remains the lifeblood of their roster-building process.

"We've always been a draft-focused team, draft-centric," DeCosta said. "We have opportunities to get better as a team with the draft [and I'm] excited about where we stand."

The most positive aspect of the Ravens' attempt to acquire Crosby not going through is the fact that they don't have to send the Las Vegas Raiders their first-round picks for each of the next two years. This means that they'll have their full allotment of 11 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, which means they'll hold the No. 14 overall pick for the second time in five years.

Later this month and into April, the front office and new-look coaching staff under first-year head coach Jesse Minter will convene for their pre-draft meeting now that the Pro Day season is in full swing and the coaches are getting more involved with the prospect scouting aspect of the offseason, which becomes a collective effort as the annual three-day event nears.

"It's probably the most significant set of meetings that we have," DeCosta said. "We'll get the [draft] board set up and we'll be ready to go so I think we're excited about that."

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