On February 2, 2018, the Ravens officially announced that DeCosta would take over as General Manager for Ozzie Newsome following the 2018 season. That year, the Ravens made news on draft day by trading their second round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Eagles in exchange for Philadelphia's 2018 first round pick, the last pick of the round. Newsome and DeCosta used that pick to select QB Lamar Jackson from Louisville. Jackson finished the 2018 season as the starting quarterback for the Ravens, leading the Ravens over the last seven games to a 6-1 record and an AFC North championship. The Ravens played a home playoff game vs the Los Angeles Chargers on January 5th, losing to the Chargers and being eliminated from the playoffs in the process. Jackson was the youngest quarterback to ever start a playoff game.