Unless you’ve been hibernating since the glory of Super Bowl XLVII, you’re well aware of the Ravens’ salary cap woes and how critical the negotiations with quarterback Joe Flacco will be between now and March 4.

The entire offseason will hinge on whether the sides will come to an agreement on a long-term contract by that date or if the Ravens will need to use the franchise tag on their starting quarterback. Further complicating the matter would be the decision to use the $14.6 million non-exclusive tag — leaving Flacco able to negotiate with other teams — or the exclusive tag that will cost somewhere around $20 million but would take him off the market entirely.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations before the start of the new league year on March 12, the Ravens are likely to make at least a couple cuts in hopes of signing some of their unrestricted free agents. However, the reality of using the franchise tag would mean multiple changes simply to fit Flacco under the salary cap as Baltimore is estimated by NFL.com to be $12.9 million under the cap before addressing the signal-caller or any of its restricted free agents or exclusive rights players.

It’s important to remember the rule of 51 as the top 51 cap numbers on the roster count against the salary cap. The savings from any released player is offset in part by an additional player making it into the top 51 from the bottom of the list. For example, if a released player carrying a $3 million cap number is replaced in the top 51 by another player carrying a $405,000 cap number, the end result is a $2.595 million savings on the salary cap.

Here’s how I’d rank the list of possible candidates to be cut for cap purposes (with the cap savings noted in parentheses), in order from most likely to least likely:

1. Bobbie Williams ($1.2 million)
Skinny: The offensive lineman was relegated to reserve duties in favor of Jah Reid midway through the season and will either retire or be released. At 36, Williams will need to find a home elsewhere to continue his career, but after finally winning a Super Bowl after years in Cincinnati, he would be picking an ideal time to walk away from the game. The Ravens will go younger and cheaper to fill his reserve role in their group of offensive linemen.

2. Matt Birk ($2.05 million)
Skinny: When Birk signed a three-year contract last offseason, it was structured with an understanding of it essentially being a one-year deal as the cap figures grow substantially over the last two years of the deal. The Ravens drafted Delaware product Gino Gradkowski in the fourth round last April to be the heir apparent to Birk at the center position, so all signs point to him taking over for the 2013 season. The 36-year-old Birk is contemplating retirement and there remains a possibility the Ravens decide to keep Birk — who played very well down the stretch — for one more season if they can sign Flacco to a long-term deal in time, but most signs point to the veteran’s days being finished in Baltimore.

3. Vonta Leach ($3 million)
Skinny: The Pro Bowl fullback has done everything the Ravens could have possibly expected after signing him two summers ago, but his high cap number makes him a prime candidate to be cut considering his position just isn’t a big enough priority with the offense continuing to move toward the passing game. The Ravens would certainly miss Leach’s punishing blocking ability, but they could shift tight end Ed Dickson to more of an H-back position while also adding a younger, cheaper fullback coming out of college. With other positions to address and the lack of cap room, Baltimore just can’t justify paying a fullback so much money.

4. Brendon Ayanbadejo ($806,000)
Skinny: His lower number is the reason why the reserve linebacker isn’t ranked higher on the list, but Ayanbadejo would easily be expendable given his age and role on the team. The defense depended on him less in passing situations this season and the 36-year-old also had some lapses on special teams down the stretch. Saving less than $1 million on the cap doesn’t do much, but parting ways with the former Pro Bowl special-teams player would seem like a logical move to make with minimal impact on the makeup of the team if you need to clear money from the cap.

5. Jameel McClain ($1.8 million)
Skinny: If you could look into the crystal ball and guarantee the Ravens would re-sign fellow inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, it would be a no-brainer to part ways with McClain, who missed the end of the season after suffering a spinal cord contusion in early December. However, considering the Ravens are losing the retiring Ray Lewis and potentially Ellerbe, general manger Ozzie Newsome would be hesitant to part ways with another inside linebacker. McClain is solid against the run, but his limitations in pass coverage make him an expendable player if the Ravens are confident they can lock up Ellerbe, which obviously isn’t a sure thing at this point.

6. Jacoby Jones ($4 million)
Skinny: The return specialist and No. 3 receiver carries a large cap number, so his status will be in jeopardy if the Ravens need to use the franchise tag on Flacco. His speed on the outside was a major asset in taking pressure off fellow speed receiver Torrey Smith and opening the intermediate portion of the field to Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta, but he is still a part-time player offensively. You’d hate to lose Jones’ tremendous return ability, so there’s a good chance the Ravens would explore a contract extension to lower his cap figure and keep him for a few more years before potentially making the difficult decision to release him. Jones is owed a $1 million roster bonus in March, so that could complicate the situation further.

7. Anquan Boldin ($6 million)
Skinny: The wide receiver’s appearance on this list is based strictly on his cap number and how far that space would go in curing the Ravens’ problems if it comes down to the franchise tag for Flacco. His quarterback would be one of the first to say he wants Boldin to remain in Baltimore, so it’s likely Newsome will pursue an extension with the 32-year-old to reduce the 2013 cap number before resorting to a release. Boldin has already said he’d retire if the Ravens cut him, so perhaps the general manager could remind him of that in trying to strike a cap-friendly deal. The departure of Jones would hurt, but parting ways with Boldin would almost appear to be crippling in the short term as there is no logical replacement on the roster to count on with the disappointing development of Tandon Doss.

The subject of salary cap relief has dominated the discussion following the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII victory as many are wondering how general manager Ozzie Newsome can keep important components of a championship team together for a bid to repeat.

According to NFL.com, the Ravens are an estimated $12.9 million under the cap for the 2013 season, but that is before addressing free-agent quarterback Joe Flacco or any other restricted or unrestricted free agents on their plate. Considering Baltimore is facing the potential need to allocate $20 million for the exclusive franchise tag to keep their Super Bowl MVP, drastic steps may need to be taken to clear enough room by the start of the new league year on March 12.

Taking a look at the Ravens’ largest cap numbers has led a few, such as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, to suggest linebacker Terrell Suggs could be a dark-horse candidate to be released in order to provide cap relief. Suggs holds a $13.02 million cap number for the 2013 season, but releasing him this offseason would do very little to help.

Cutting Suggs prior to June 1 would create only $1.8 million in cap space as the Ravens would be left with $11.2 million in dead money due to prorated bonus money against this year’s cap. And while it’s true a post-June 1 release would create more space this year and push some of the dead money to next season, the extra cap space wouldn’t become available until June and does nothing to help you after all notable free agents — such as fellow pass rusher Paul Kruger — have already found jobs.

In other words, the Ravens aren’t going to release a cornerstone of their defense to gain a minimal amount of cap room, especially when they’re already losing Ray Lewis and facing the reality of both Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe signing elsewhere. If you’re going to release a linebacker to create space, the exit of inside linebacker Jameel McClain would make the most sense as he would also clear $1.8 million in cap room.

If the Ravens want to address Suggs’ enormous cap number, a contract restructure would be possible, but that is only putting money on the credit card and will lead to further headaches down the road. Newsome acknowledged that much in the Ravens’ end-of-season press conference last week.

“We are not going to be restructuring contracts and doing all of those different things to be able just to maintain this team to make another run,” Newsome said. “We’re not doing that. All that being said, John [Harbaugh] and I have talked about it, and we have talked to the coaches, [and] that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to try to go and repeat.”

If you take the general manager’s words at face value, the Ravens will simply need to bite the bullet with the cap numbers of both Suggs and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata ($11.5 million) for the 2013 season. Should Suggs be unable to bounce back from an injury-riddled season as he turns 31 in October, parting ways with the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year might be a realistic possibility next offseason — and would save $7.8 million in cap space in 2014 — but the five-time Pro Bowl selection isn’t going anywhere this offseason.

LINEBACKER TERRELL SUGGS

(on how this week has been different than normal) “It’s pretty much business as usual even though we’re on the big stage for the Super Bowl. We’re going about with our normal routine, business as usual.”

(on if the team has been having fun this week) “We always are going to have fun. We’re always going to be us. We have fun at practice. Everybody has just been enjoying ourselves, but not getting too far off the path and making sure we’re here for a football game.”

(on if he has been down Bourbon Street) “I haven’t been there yet. My mom and dad got here today so they may want to go. I may go early just to walk with them and spend some time with my mom and dad. Nothing late though. I’m still going with my normal routine.”

(on who the under-the-radar MVP would be for the Ravens if they win) “Sam Koch. I’d say our punter, Sam Koch, or one of our kickers, Justin Tucker just because they’re the most consistent people. You know what, strike that, the “Secret Service,” the offensive line, most definitely. Last week we reversed it. We got to be the offensive linemen for the one-on-one pass-rush drill and they got to pass-rush against us. We got to block them. Even if you do a good job, no one ever knows.”

(on which 49ers player is the biggest threat) “All of them. They’re whole team is the biggest threat. I can’t give you one in particular. They’re all pretty good.”

(on which song Beyoncé should open with for the halftime show) “I don’t know. I’m a big Beyoncé fan. My favorite is ‘Check Up On It’ or ‘Upgrade You,’ so definitely one of those.”

(on his favorite line from Beyoncé’s “Check Up On It”) “If you got it, flaunt it. Boy, I know you want it.”

(on if Ayanbadejo’s stance on same-sex marriage is a representation of the entire team) “On this team, with so many different personalities, we just accept people for who they are and we don’t really care too much about a player’s sexuality. To each their own. You know who you are, and we accept you for it.”

(on if he would have a problem with a gay teammate) “Absolutely not. We wouldn’t have a problem with it. We don’t care. Our biggest thing in the locker room is to just have fun and stay loose. We don’t really care too much about that. We’re a football team. I said it yesterday; everybody deserves a certain amount of privacy. Who cares? Whatever a person’s choice is, it’s their choice.”

(on if this week has met expectations) “No it hasn’t been everything I thought it would be. I thought I would be able to enjoy it, but I’m kind of nonchalant (about) the whole thing. I thought I would be like, ‘Oh snap,’ a little more breathtaking, but I’m here to work. When you’re on the outside looking in, you enjoy all the festivities and you’re having a lot more fun and a lot more energy. I can’t take my eyes off what I’m really here for. I spend a lot of time in my room studying. I’ve been here four days and I still haven’t been to Bourbon Street yet. My mom and dad got here today with my brothers so I’m going to try and be out there with them, but it probably won’t happen until Friday. I wish I would be able to enjoy it more, but I’m still here to work.”

(on what player safety means to the NFL) “Especially with me being a defender, we don’t want anyone to get hurt. We know the game we play is a dangerous and physical game, but in the same breath, we know what we signed up for. We know this is a contact sport. I’m not talking about the concussion rules and things of that nature. I’m talking about the player’s safety; if you want to eliminate hits to the knees on certain positions, you have to eliminate it on all positions for the simple fact that my knees are just as valuable as somebody else’s, especially quarterbacks. That’s my biggest deal. If they’re going to make the rules, make the rules safe for everybody.

(on the effect of the long wait to gametime on Sunday) “I don’t think it’s going to have any effect on us. It just gives us more time to prepare and get ready.”

(on pacing himself until the game) “When it’s on, it’s on. We can’t play the game before the ball is kicked off. We’re not going to get involved with the circus. That’s pretty much for the fans and all the media. They (team officials) haven’t talked to us about it yet. We’re a veteran team.”

(on why he chose Arizona State) “It was just a hometown team and my dad was really big on watching me play. I originally was going to commit and go to Florida State, but the night before my announcement my family and I decided I would go to Arizona State.”

(on the week leading up to the Super Bowl) “It’s been a circus, but we haven’t strayed off the path one bit. We’ve still kept our eyes on the goal. We know we’re here to play a football game. All of this excitement is pretty much for television and media. We’re just doing our part right now, but we’re preparing for Sunday.”

LINEBACKER TERRELL SUGGS

 (on what it took to return from injury this season) “It’s definitely been an uncharacteristic season for me, especially with the injuries. I’m a guy that doesn’t normally doesn’t get hurt and had two injuries this year that were supposed to sideline me for the rest of the year, but I just refused to accept that. What drove me to work so hard was the possibility of being here. I knew we had a team that was right there on the brink, was always on the brink, so I just wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t want to watch the season on the sideline and I definitely wanted to help my teammates reach this point.”

(on if he has fully recovered from the injuries) “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m even close to normal right now. You know what I mean? It’s the tasks. It’s the goal. All of that is bigger than how you feel. I guarantee you, come February 3^rd, when the clock reads 0:00 in the fourth quarter, if the score reads how I expect it to read and how I want it to read, I promise you I won’t feel any pain.”

(on what players stepped up when he was out with the injuries) “Courtney Upshaw. He’s been phenomenal for us. Not only that, but the play of Paul Kruger, ‘Krug,’ coming down the stretch. He had to really focus on the task at hand. When we got Pernell McPhee back, he was injured and missed a couple games, but it seemed like we all got back to being somewhat healthy at the right time. When you have all of your weapons, you can start a run.”

(on facing San Francisco’s pistol offense) “I’m not going to say too much because I’m pretty sure they’re going to be watching this. We just know it’s a problem and too many teams haven’t had success in stopping it. We get the ultimate test on the ultimate stage. They’ve been a team that’s been primarily known for their defense; they took the challenge. That’s a stress with the guys over there also. It’s going to be interesting and we’re going to have a lot of fun playing this game.”

(on what type of leadership role he has taken on the defense) “The way I contribute is I try to be like Ray (Lewis) and see things before they happen. Guys will tell you that I’m constantly talking, even at the snap of the ball, something. They know what to listen for and they know when to tune me out. I’m pretty much just trying to make sure we’re all on the same page, especially the guys on the line.”

(on how to stop the 49ers rushing attack) “Get 11 hats to the ball, definitely. Frank Gore and (Colin) Kaepernick, they’re going to get their touches and they’re going to play some ball. We just better be out there ready to play with them.”

(on how to slow down the 49ers offense) “That we have all 11 guys doing it. One man is not going to stop that offense. It’s going to take us all. It’s not just particularly one guy that’s going to win this game for us. It’s going to take pretty much everyone in uniform.”

(on what makes the pistol offense so difficult to defend) “They can do so much and do so many things. They can pass out of it. They hand the ball off. There are so many things they can do with it. They can even bring in the trick plays. You have to stay fundamentally sound to defend so many things and play.

(on pacing the energy level of the team this week) “You think this team has a problem with doing it? With myself and Jacoby Jones? With the guys that we have in this locker room? We’re going to have fun today. Sunday will get here soon enough and then it will take care of itself. We’re going to go be the Ravens on Wednesday and y’all may get a performance out of me. I may be singing at practice. I’m taking requests. Hit me on my twitter, @untouchablejay4. We’re going to be us. Were always going to be us.”

(on when he knew he was ready to return from injury) “I don’t know man. I just took upon my faith and prayed and made the decision that I was ready to play. God took care of it, so I can’t really say when I knew, it’s just kind of a feeling.”

(on why his numbers differ greatly in the postseason compared to the regular season)  “I don’t know. The second half of the season is always the best half of the season for me. Playing in the playoffs, (they’re) aren’t too many teams playing. All your family members are watching. Most importantly, all of the people that ever doubted you are watching. That’s why the playoffs will always be my favorite.”

(on how the Ravens managed to finally reach the Super Bowl) “I don’t know. I think the majority of the group on our team, like I said, my mentor told me, ‘You will learn more in failure than you ever would in success,’ so I think we just learned from the past two times we’ve been in the AFC Championship and other big games that we were in. We learn from our mistakes. This time, we were a more mature team and a more experienced team when we got there and we got over the hump.”

(on if Ray Lewis addressed the team about the allegations) “No, because we know it’s all feathers in the wind. It’s petty gossip for the simple fact that we saw how hard he worked. He did it at the facility and at no time was he injected with anything. The man just stayed working out. He just stayed at it. We’re not even going to waste our time with it. We just thought it was hilarious that they have another reason why we’re on this run, but that’s alright. We’ve been getting it this whole playoffs so it’s nothing new to us. We’re not going to pay it any mind.”

(on if he was ever doubted as a player) “Yeah, they have. They still doubt me now. You’re going to get it every day, but I’m going to keep the haters at work. I’m not going to give them any rest. I’m going to give them all something to hate on about me.”

(on whether the Ray Lewis allegations have been a distraction to the team) “Do we seem distracted? Come on man. We can handle a lot. This team has very broad shoulders. We don’t let too many things bother us. Like I said, we know each other. We know our general (Lewis). We’re just really good at not paying attention to nonsense. We’re not distracted at all.”

(on if he would like to hurry up and play the game) “No, because I’m sure Dan Marino probably thought, ‘I’m just itching, I’m just ready to get out here and play,’ and thought he was going to be in a lot of them and he was only in one. We’re going to take our time with this one. We’re going to let Sunday get here and take care of itself. On Wednesday, you can only take care of Wednesday. That’s pretty much what we focus on. We’re going to have some fun and enjoy today.”

(on if he enjoys watching other good defenses when he’s not playing) “We like watching our own defense. We appreciate a good player or a great play. We’ll definitely say it. That’s pretty much it. We give respect where respect is due, but we don’t go out of our way to go watch a certain group.”

(on if it is difficult to prepare for facing a unique offense) “Yeah, it’s kind of different. It’s a new offense. It’s not a traditional offense, so it may be difficult to prepare for. At the end of the day, it’s all football. It’s all run, pass, kick, block and tackle. I think if we do the little things and get back to the fundamentals, we’ll be fine.”

(on if he is impressed with 49ers TE Vernon Davis) “Definitely, he’s a freak at the position. He’s definitely one of the best, if not the best tight end.

LINEBACKER TERRELL SUGGS

(on Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis) “They’re both great man. ‘The Great Mufasa,’ we can’t get enough words about him. He probably is a shoe-in first-ballot Hall of Famer. I’m just glad I had the opportunity to play in the last game with him and it’s the biggest game in the world. I’m a big fan of their linebacker too. He knows that.”

(on his journey with the Ravens to the Super Bowl) “Well you know, it’s been a long one. You know what I mean? It’s been a long 10 years, but I’ve been fortunate, you know what I mean, to have some success. I can’t really say. It’s all been priceless man. We’ve came close a few times, but to actually get here, it’s very surreal. I’m really appreciating it. I’m going to enjoy this week and I’m going to take my time getting to Sunday.”

(on the turning point in the Ravens season) “I don’t know. It would probably be Ray’s (Lewis) announcement. You know what I mean? We all focused ourselves and you know, the reality set in that we’re not all going to play forever. We always say about (how) the window of opportunity is closing. That kind of got everybody’s mind right to go on a run.”

(on the challenge of stopping a unique offense) “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to find out and see on Sunday. We don’t have a plan for it. Get to the ball.”

(on having two weeks off after the AFC Championship Game) “I think it’d be good. You get to heal your body. You get to really study your opponent, that way you can give the fans in the world the best game possible between the two teams.”

(on his food leading up to the Super Bowl) “I can’t answer that. I’m going to try a little jambalaya. I’m going to try some gumbo. It’s not normally what I eat, but if you’re in New Orleans you have to so I’m going to try.”

(on being selected by the Ravens and not the Cardinals) “I was disappointed because I did want to play at home, but it worked out better for everybody.”

(on the Cardinals trading away their draft selection to the Ravens) “We had a hint that they might do it, but I was thinking that they wouldn’t. I wasn’t surprised, but like I said, it was a rumor that they might do it so it didn’t catch me all off-guard. I was disappointed when they did, but like I said, that was 10 years ago and it all worked out for the best now.”

(on which teammate has the weirdest pre-game routine and why) “Brandon Ayanbadejo, easy. I’m not sure if this is camera-ready. It involves massage-coconut oil or something and he stands in the middle of the locker room in his boy shorts or boxer briefs, I don’t know what they are and he oils himself down.”

(on what him and his teammates do during Ayanbadejo’s routine) “We try not to look. If you’re going to the trainer or you just happen to bypass, it’s kind of uncomfortable, but he’s been doing it for four years now, but I don’t want to stay we got used it.”

(on his pre-game routine) “I don’t know man. I just eat eggs and bacon in the morning. I just kind of go. I just gradually get myself ready. I don’t have any; no Vaseline. I don’t have any rituals. I just get ready and go to the game and ride down and listen to my music.”

(on where he will go on vacation if they win) “Ball So Hard University. I will go there first; go to my alma mater. Then I will go to Hogwarts. We stop at Hogwarts and then I will take my lovely family to the lost city of Atlantis.”

-more-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Super Bowl XLVII – Tuesday, January 29, 2013

QUOTES FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS MEDIA DAY

MORE LINEBACKER TERRELL SUGGS

(on what makes this team capable of winning the Super Bowl) “Because we’ve been there before. You know, all the tough games with a lot of great teams and a lot of the time we’ve been on the short-end of those teams. I guess you learn from your mistakes. Good teams don’t make the same mistake twice. We’re on the other end of the coin this time.”

(on how the Ravens have responded from losing in the AFC Championship last season) “Well, our immediate response was (that) we’re going to work hard to get right back to this point, but that was easier said than done, you know, especially with the injuries we’ve all sustained this year. We took the hard way back, you know, getting back here. We got back, you know, we got it done.”

(on what he remembers from the last time he faced Joe Staley) “I don’t know. Staley, I think he’s a guy like me, you know what I mean? He likes to have fun when he plays and that’s how I like to play. The last time we played each other, when a play was going on we were serious; in between plays we would kind of just (be) chopping it up, having fun.”

(on how often Staley gets help from other linemen) “Not that often. He didn’t get that much. He handles his own pretty well. He did pretty good.”

(on using techniques in Super Bowl XLVII from the last time he faced Staley) “You can always learn and educate yourself whenever you go up against a guy or against a certain team, but you know, do I think he had a weakness? No. Something like, no, I don’t think so. You just have to play football.”

(on defeating the Patriots in the AFC Championship) “It was a good win, you know what I mean, especially going to there, they expected two teams. Throughout the course of the year, Houston emerged, Denver emerged, and Cincinnati played some good football and Indy (Indianapolis Colts) with Chuck (Pagano). When everybody saw that these two teams were in, everybody was really, alright, it’s a heavyweight fight, you know what I mean? The rematch, you know what I mean? They wanted to see the two teams play each other, especially the way last year ended. It was good to win the game and you want to play a worthy opponent and we did that beating the defending AFC champs from last year.”

(on what Joe Flacco means to the team) “We always knew Joe, you know, had the ability to be what he is now. It’s like the only one surprised is all of y’all. Y’all see me arguing with Skip (Bayless). Shout out to Skip Bayless though, anyway, my ‘frienemy.’ Y’all see me arguing with him and I have to tell him, my quarterback is a top-five quarterback. He was like, ‘Yeah right,’ but we always knew Joe had the ability. Not only to make the big play, but win the big game, you know and he did. My mentor told me, ‘You will learn more in failure than you ever would in success. We’ve been down that road a couple times. We lost to our division rivals once and then we lost last year to the Patriots. That was an experience for us, you know what I mean. When we got back to those games we capitalized.”

(on whether or not Joe Flacco will play well in the Super Bowl) “We’ll have to wait and see Sunday, but I know which one is going to show up. Like I said, I’ll let y’all be surprised. It’s not news if y’all aren’t surprised.”