There’s an interesting debate that’s brewing amongst Ravens fans as to how the team will approach Ray Rice’s impending free agency, and whether they’ll be able to lock him up to a long-term deal. It’s an interesting debate, because despite the fact that the NFL went to sizable lengths in reminding us unapologetically last year that it is first and foremost a business, there’s a sizable faction of Ravens fans expecting the team to take a more humane approach and simply “do the right thing” by Rice.
Rice after all, was arguably the NFL’s best bargain at just over $550k last season, and unlike a number of his contemporaries who took great measures to speak up about what they considered disparate pay for their production, Rice never uttered a public peep about his sizable workload to pay ratio. No mater how negotiations turn out, Rice will walk away with an unbelievable pay raise and a healthy start toward his fortune.
The problem is that top tier running back money is in the neighborhood of $13-14 million per season, and the franchise tag for a running back in 2012 is $7.7 million. Why either side would feel compelled to find a happy medium remains to be seen, but from an assurance standpoint, with memories of Jamal Lewis in 2001 and again from 2004-2006 still fresh, there’s no reason for the team to not take a wait and see approach.
Top flight running backs are short lived in the NFL, and most of this year’s playoff participants had little to no star power at running back, while most of the league’s highly paid running backs watched the playoffs from their homes. If negotiations go into the season, as they did with Haloti Ngata, there are even less reasons for either side to settle for a long-term middle ground and a second tagged season at $9.1 million doesn’t exactly sound like a bad option for either side.
For the Rice it’s be $16.8 million or so over the next 2 seasons, with a real shot to still get to free agency after that and cash in on the open market. For the Ravens it’d be a 2-year opportunity to find another option or options to carry Rice’s prolific workload while saving money against the cap and allowing for spending elsewhere.
No matter what happens, the Ravens will have to find money for Rice next season, as they have no choice but to bring him back (the scariest realization of all) and where that money comes from is anyone’s guess. It was widely accepted with most fans that if the Ravens indeed won the Super Bowl last season, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed would likely ride off into the sunset, together, as champions.
Instead the Ravens journey ended abruptly in New England, and immediately thereafter Ray Lewis announced his intentions to return in 2012. You have to wonder if the organization was as happy about that news as some fans were.
Clearly the “difficult conversations” that many were suggesting about the coaches should have with Lewis about his workload are going to have to happen as they look ahead together for 2012, but you also can’t help but wonder how much of the $5 million or so the Ravens could have saved with is departure, Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens may have had earmarked for other purposes already.
Surely Ray Lewis has earned the right to decide if and when he ever calls it quits, and if he’s not ready yet, Baltimore owes him a spot on the roster. At the very least the Ravens had better be assured that there’d be no room for him on anyone else’s roster before pushing him off of their own and out the door. At the end of the day, we can all accept that Ray will write his own ticket out of town, at his own behest and on his own schedule. Maybe he’ll see fit to restructure his contract at least and help the team get some flexibility under the salary cap if necessary.
With Ed Reed though is the decision just as clear? Reed’s departure, through retirement or otherwise, could save the Ravens upward of $7 million under next seasons cap. His contributions last season were debated throughout, and his criticism of Joe Flacco after a playoff win against Houston was at the least an exercise in bad judgment. He too could take a lot of pressure off of the team, and bow out gracefully. If he elects not to however…
Do the Ravens owe it to Ed Reed to keep him around next year at a cost of over $8 million against the cap if he simply says that he wants to come back? Perhaps we’re about to find out sooner than we think.
How would you feel as a fan if the Ravens played hardball with Ray Rice and Ed Reed this off-season?
February 21st, 2012 at 7:06 am
Thyrl: I have no problems with the Ravens playing hardball with both players this year. Let’s face itthere isn’t enough money to sign Flacco and Rice to long term mega-deals. The Viking and Titans could afford to shell out big bucks for Peterson and Chris Johnson because each was the focal point of their team. In the Ravens case they already spent big money on Halot , will have to do so for Flacco and will probably want to have some leeway next year when Webb’s contract comes up. With most running backs greatly slowing down by the age of 27 or 28, I would do what you suggest and franchise Rice for the next 2 years and then cut him lose. As for Ed, other than the last 2 games against Houston and the Pats, his season was mediocre by Ed Reed standards. With his physical problems it is obvious that Reed can no longer throw his body around for 16 games. If I was the Ravens I would ask Reed to restructure his contract so as to be more cap friendly. If he refused, I would release him and look to bring in a cheaper alternative. As you said, first and foremost the NFL is a business and you have to do what’s best for the team. Signing Rice to a long term deal and bringing Reed back at $8 million would not be in the Ravens best interest.
February 23rd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
I agree with Joe of Bel Air.Don’t give Ray Rice Barry Saunders money or long term deal franchise him for 2 years then re-evaluate. Ask Reed to re-structure he’s a shell of his former self over 16 games. If he balks at that its bye bye Ed and thanks for the memories see you in Canton I’ll be happy to go up there for the induction. Pay Flacco and wrap him up long term. You got to keep JJ too. Kruger is still a bench player and not a starter as they had hoped. We are thin at outside LB/DE in the Ravens 3-4 scheme. That what happens when high draft picks don’t pan out as expected.
AKA Kindle.