Ravens fans are wondering what Ozzie Newsome's role will be next year after Eric DeCosta assumes the general manager job.
Well, those inside the Under Armour Performance Center are wondering as well.
Newsome will be involved with the Ravens, but it's still unclear exactly how much or in what capacity.
"We haven't worked through those things partly because, honestly, Ozzie hasn't really decided what he wants his role to be next year," DeCosta said Wednesday. "You think about these types of things, and there are a lot of moving parts."
Four years ago, the Ravens agreed on the plan for DeCosta to succeed Newsome in 2019. Newsome assured Owner Steve Bisciotti that he would stay in Baltimore, but they didn't hammer out the details.
"He will work with me and work with Eric for a smooth transition and he'll be the highest-paid scout in America when Eric takes over next year," Bisciotti quipped in February.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Newsome joked that Bisciotti told him he wants to see Newsome's golf game improve. Newsome said then that he didn't know what his title will be, but will have an office at the Under Armour Performance Center and will be a resource for DeCosta, Bisciotti and Head Coach John Harbaugh.
On Wednesday, Newsome didn't share any further details other than saying it's not about who gets credit in Baltimore.
"The way the process works is we're all about getting it right," Newsome said. "It's not about me being right, Eric being right, John being right, Joe being right or Steve being right. Let's just get it right. And I don't see that changing. I really don't."
DeCosta said Newsome once told him that his strengths are DeCosta's weaknesses and Newsome's weaknesses are DeCosta's strengths. They work well in tandem.
For example, Newsome is extremely patient and calm. DeCosta, self-admittedly, said he isn't wired that way, as anyone who sits near him in the press box can attest. DeCosta is technologically savvy, thinks outside the box and has a keen eye for analytics.
DeCosta will make the final decisions, but as Newsome did with him, he'll surely hear what Newsome has to say before pulling the trigger. What remains to be seen is how much Newsome's voice is around.
"Ozzie is somebody that I really admire from an executive perspective, but also as a great friend of mine, a confidant," DeCosta said. "I would love to have Ozzie here as much as he wants to be here next year in whatever capacity he wants to be in because of his value, his wisdom.
"He's a great evaluator, he's a wonderful leader, he's a great person, he's honest, he has tremendous integrity, he's humble and he's a team guy. All those qualities make him, in my mind, a legend, and a guy that has impacted my life very, very much."
DeCosta said the most rewarding part of his job over the past 22 years has been working with Newsome, and he doesn't see that changing.
"I've got probably the best GM in the history of football – at least one of the top five – here right now, and I hope he always stays," DeCosta said.
