If we lose Dennis Pitta it is going to hurt, and it looks like that could be coming

[jonboy79]

Pettigrew would be taking a paycut with a 3 year 8M contract. Not gonna happen.

You think he will be offered more? He has been a major disappointment.

[ursula]

Spotrac has his annual average at only 6.9 which is lower than Witten's by a few hairs. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-engla...ob-gronkowski/

Either way, the position is VERY low paid.

Spotrac is frequently wrong as they are in this case.

[jonboy79]

I see no reason why Pitta won't be asking for at least 6M. He won't get laughed out of the building if he does. I can easily see him getting 5M, minimum.

Asking for and getting are two completely different things.
Would he get laughed out the building? Probably not. But if he's making $6m per year next year, I hope it's on another team. That would assuredly be over-paying for someone his age/production/injury history. $5m is pushing it to be honest.

[ursula]

You think he will be offered more? He has been a major disappointment.

Yep. He has been a major disappointment compared to the hype he had but as a decent middle class TE, sure, he'll get more than 3M/year.

[ursula]

Asking for and getting are two completely different things.
Would he get laughed out the building? Probably not. But if he's making $6m per year next year, I hope it's on another team. That would assuredly be over-paying for someone his age/production/injury history. $5m is pushing it to be honest.

Well yeah but look at the other 5-6M/year guys I listed. He fits in that group. Especially on a functional offense he'd be a valued weapon. If the Ravens won't pay him that definitely some other team will. At the very least I expect Pitta to tell Ozzie 6M and if Ozzie balks (which I wouldn't mind at all) Pitta will go to other teams.

[jonboy79]

Yep. He has been a major disappointment compared to the hype he had but as a decent middle class TE, sure, he'll get more than 3M/year.

Obviously I see value in him, or else I wouldn't suggest getting him. But he is what he is... a blocking TE that can catch. Blocking TE's make $1m a year. I split the difference between that and a real receiving TE.

[jonboy79]

Well yeah but look at the other 5-6M/year guys I listed. He fits in that group. Especially on a functional offense he'd be a valued weapon. If the Ravens won't pay him that definitely some other team will. At the very least I expect Pitta to tell Ozzie 6M and if Ozzie balks (which I wouldn't mind at all) Pitta will go to other teams.

Martellus Bennett is probably the closest statistically on your list... but he is STILL 2 years younger then Dennis Pitta, and wasn't coming off a major hip injury when he signed his deal this past offseason, again at a much younger age. Owen Daniels as well is pretty close statistically, but had a much longer track record, and is arguably overpaid to the point he might be on the chopping block.
Also, don't forget that the FA market for non-QB's has by and large been depressing, not inflating.
That's a long way to say, that if I had the choice between Martellus Bennett last year, or Pitta this year, I would very clearly choose Bennett.

[ursula]

Unfortunately the Ravens don't have that choice between Bennett and Pitta. Pitta's competition is Graham, who should, depressed market or no, become the highest paid TE in the league, Pettigrew, and a few TE's who aren't as good as Pitta: ACL-recovering Keller, Scott Chandler, Fred Davis, and our very own Ed Dickson.

I can see hoping that Pitta comes cheap, but Pitta sure won't be sharing that hope. There's several TE's who are overpaid but that doesn't mean that the teams have now come to their senses, it means that teams overpay for TE's. Pitta has a Ring and puts up decent to good numbers in a very poor offensive scheme. He's a good alternative for a team that may have higher priorities than TE and thus aren't so interested in Ebron or Amaro, etc.

Besides the strong rumor after the Super Bowl was that Pitta was gonna ask for 6M.

[jimjim5]

Unfortunately the Ravens don't have that choice between Bennett and Pitta. Pitta's competition is Graham, who should, depressed market or no, become the highest paid TE in the league, Pettigrew, and a few TE's who aren't as good as Pitta: ACL-recovering Keller, Scott Chandler, Fred Davis, and our very own Ed Dickson.

I can see hoping that Pitta comes cheap, but Pitta sure won't be sharing that hope. There's several TE's who are overpaid but that doesn't mean that the teams have now come to their senses, it means that teams overpay for TE's. Pitta has a Ring and puts up decent to good numbers in a very poor offensive scheme. He's a good alternative for a team that may have higher priorities than TE and thus aren't so interested in Ebron or Amaro, etc.

Besides the strong rumor after the Super Bowl was that Pitta was gonna ask for 6M.

Bye-Bye!!!

[jonboy79]

Unfortunately the Ravens don't have that choice between Bennett and Pitta. Pitta's competition is Graham, who should, depressed market or no, become the highest paid TE in the league, Pettigrew, and a few TE's who aren't as good as Pitta: ACL-recovering Keller, Scott Chandler, Fred Davis, and our very own Ed Dickson.

I can see hoping that Pitta comes cheap, but Pitta sure won't be sharing that hope. There's several TE's who are overpaid but that doesn't mean that the teams have now come to their senses, it means that teams overpay for TE's. Pitta has a Ring and puts up decent to good numbers in a very poor offensive scheme. He's a good alternative for a team that may have higher priorities than TE and thus aren't so interested in Ebron or Amaro, etc.

Besides the strong rumor after the Super Bowl was that Pitta was gonna ask for 6M.

Pitta is no competition for Graham at all.. Graham, this year alone, basically out-produced Pitta's career. This despite the two players being drafted in the same year. He's also over a year younger. Graham is worth AT LEAST twice what Pitta is.

[srobert96]

Pitta is going to be paid but he is by no means going to get a monster deal. He is a very good receiving TE but is not a Top 10 TE. He is probably looking at 5.5m - 6.5m a year. Around where Heath Miller ended up. If the Ravens try and low ball him they will lose him.

[Gabrosin]

I don't see how we could possibly give Pitta $5m a year or more. I really don't. Not unless we don't re-sign Monroe. Not unless we decide Torrey can leave.

I'm fine with paying your elite talents regardless of position, but Pitta is not an elite talent. And pass-catching TE doesn't even fall in the top half of important starters, in my book.

Give Joe better protection and a running game, and we can bring in a cheap and/or young TE to get us 50 yards a game. Cuz that's what we're talking about here: less than 50 yards a game. Even if a lot of those yards are important, you can't overpay for it. Not if you're going to pay your other guys.