Ray Rice moving Forward

[wickedsolo]

The franchise tag number on a QB is going to be upwards of 15 million. Probably more once Brees gets under contract. The Ravens have every incentive to get Flacco under contract and they also have more time. They can negotiate with Flacco into the season. I have no doubt in my mind that they get something done before franchising Flacco becomes an option. The franchise number for a QB is just to large.

Agreed and it will likely happen this season.

[GOTA]

So they tag him in 2013 and plays in 2013 again under the tag and then let him hit the market? is that what u mean?

I can agree with that. He would be stupid not to take a deal from the Ravens by the time the end of the 2013 season comes wont he be close to 30?

Nope. He's only 25. If he's franchised 2013 he hits the market 27. Unless he suffers a major injury that's not that old for a RB. He'll get a 5 year deal for good money at that point.

[Cj34]

The franchise tag number on a QB is going to be upwards of 15 million. Probably more once Brees gets under contract. The Ravens have every incentive to get Flacco under contract and they also have more time. They can negotiate with Flacco into the season. I have no doubt in my mind that they get something done before franchising Flacco becomes an option. The franchise number for a QB is just to large.

Obviously the Raven's wouldn't want to franchise him but if they don't get a deal done this year they could really find themselves in a bigtime pickle a year from now.

Hypothetical situation (but very realistic)... Neither Flacco or Rice are signed before this upcoming season . Flacco puts up 4,000 + yds, 25-30 TD, 10-15 INT (much improved numbers but still not quite superstar numbers) and wins at least a game or more in the playoffs. Rice puts up his usual numbers 1300 + yds rushing, 700 + rec yds, 12 tds combined. Now Rice still wants more money then Foster's deal. Since you didn't sign Flacco before the season started and his numbers improved significantly (not to mention a 5th straight year in the playoffs), he and his agent want top 5 money and a long term deal. If you're the Ravens what do you do at that point?

[Cj34]

Nope. He's only 25. If he's franchised 2013 he hits the market 27. Unless he suffers a major injury that's not that old for a RB. He'll get a 5 year deal for good money at that point.

He might not be old in age but in two more years he'll be mighty close to 2,000 touches in his NFL career. He has 1209 now (959 rushes, 250 receptions). He's been averaging around 356 touches the last couple years so at the end of the 2013-14 season he would be somewhere between 1,900 and 2,000. That's a lot of wear and tear whether he's 27 or not. He'll probably have another 2-3 productive years after that but not much more.

[wickedsolo]

Obviously the Raven's wouldn't want to franchise him but if they don't get a deal done this year they could really find themselves in a bigtime pickle a year from now.

Hypothetical situation (but very realistic)... Neither Flacco or Rice are signed before this upcoming season . Flacco puts up 4,000 + yds, 25-30 TD, 10-15 INT (much improved numbers but still not quite superstar numbers) and wins at least a game or more in the playoffs. Rice puts up his usual numbers 1300 + yds rushing, 700 + rec yds, 12 tds combined. Now Rice still wants more money then Foster's deal. Since you didn't sign Flacco before the season started and his numbers improved significantly (not to mention a 5th straight year in the playoffs), he and his agent want top 5 money and a long term deal. If you're the Ravens what do you do at that point?

It'll definitely put them into a pickle and at that point I think they'll be forced to spend more on Flacco to keep him a Raven.

Regardless, whatever contract they sign him to now will likely be a song compared to what guys like Cam Newton and Matt Stafford will want to be re-signed at.

[HoustonRaven]

I don't think the team is in a pickle at all. The decision is simple.

You have to sign Flacco at that point because of the cap hit alone. There is zero chance the front office plays Flacco on a tag. If that means tagging Rice a second time (or letting him walk), that's exactly what they will do.

[wickedsolo]

I don't think the team is in a pickle at all. The decision is simple.

You have to sign Flacco at that point because of the cap hit alone. There is zero chance the front office plays Flacco on a tag. If that means tagging Rice a second time (or letting him walk), that's exactly what they will do.

Well it is kind of a pickle if they're trying to keep Flacco's contract as small/fair as possible AND be able to retain Ray Rice.

There is the potential that it could come down to letting a really great player (Rice) walk in order to keep Flacco. Yes, the decision is simple because it is "easier" to replace a back than a quarterback.

[GOTA]

He might not be old in age but in two more years he'll be mighty close to 2,000 touches in his NFL career. He has 1209 now (959 rushes, 250 receptions). He's been averaging around 356 touches the last couple years so at the end of the 2013-14 season he would be somewhere between 1,900 and 2,000. That's a lot of wear and tear whether he's 27 or not. He'll probably have another 2-3 productive years after that but not much more.

He'll still get a 5 year deal with the team deciding whether or not to keep him in year 4. Many 5 year deals are really 3 or 4 year deals in reality.

[Benny8444]

I cant see them just letting rice walk. They do need to sign Flacco before the end of the season or by the time it comes to tagging rice again. I belive they wont want to get to that point as the tag number for a QB will be over $15 mil. My guess is Rice gets signed by the July 16 deadline and Flacco gets signed some point closer to the season.

Ozzie is not stupid and wont just let rice walk and the way to no let him walk is get Flacco signed so they can tag him again (if he does not agree to terms) and trade him. The rookie scale is what takes away the days of getting 1st rounders for most positions unless teams are desprate.

[Corey]

Obviously the Raven's wouldn't want to franchise him but if they don't get a deal done this year they could really find themselves in a bigtime pickle a year from now.

Hypothetical situation (but very realistic)... Neither Flacco or Rice are signed before this upcoming season . Flacco puts up 4,000 + yds, 25-30 TD, 10-15 INT (much improved numbers but still not quite superstar numbers) and wins at least a game or more in the playoffs. Rice puts up his usual numbers 1300 + yds rushing, 700 + rec yds, 12 tds combined. Now Rice still wants more money then Foster's deal. Since you didn't sign Flacco before the season started and his numbers improved significantly (not to mention a 5th straight year in the playoffs), he and his agent want top 5 money and a long term deal. If you're the Ravens what do you do at that point?

The Ravens have a track record of holding onto their best players. If Flacco has that kind of production the team will have no problem paying him his market value. But like I have already stated, I don't think this is going to be an issue. QB is to important to leave it to chance. They'll get Flacco under contract, even if they have to pay more than they initially wanted to. If he's producing like a top 5 player, he's worth top 5 money. It's that simple.

[GOTA]

MJD is holding out with 2 years left on deal. It will be interesting to see if he is able to get a new contract. That's a player who is very similar to Rice but obviously older and with more of an injury history.

If MJD can't get a deal maybe Rice will get a chance to look into the future and realize that's in his best interest to get this deal done.