Ongoing Flacco Contract Negotiations (Merged)

**pslholder96** · 02-12-2013, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Paintballguy

Check out the highest cap hits in the NFL.

http://www.spotrac.com/top-salaries/nfl/cap-hit/

Wow, 7 of the top 10 cap hits belong to QBs..shocking

**B-more Ravor** · 02-12-2013, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by alienrace

So in other words, there is near zero chance they'd use the non-exclusive, especially if they are confident a deal will be struck by March 12.

I'd agree, but I think the real deadline in that scenario is April 17th. That's the point when the exclusive tag is calculated and set in stone. It's at that point that they'll need the additional $5-6M and it's at that point that they would be likely forced to release someone they'd like rather not - Boldin? Jones?

**iggyman555** · 02-12-2013, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by B-more Ravor

I'd agree, but I think the real deadline in that scenario is April 17th. That's the point when the exclusive tag is calculated and set in stone. It's at that point that they'll need the additional $5-6M and it's at that point that they would be likely forced to release someone they'd like rather not - Boldin? Jones?

is there a deadline to send retirement papers into the league or they can do whenever? hopefully ray, birk, kemo, etc do it soon or that doesnt affect anything?

**B-more Ravor** · 02-13-2013, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by iggyman555

is there a deadline to send retirement papers into the league or they can do whenever? hopefully ray, birk, kemo, etc do it soon or that doesnt affect anything?

If the players hasn't yet filed the papers, but the player has "announced" that he is going to retire, the team can put the player on it's "reserved/retired" list, which tolls the player's contract and removes him from the Cap.

If the player decides to "unretire", then the team has a decision to make - fit him under the Cap or release him.

**Paintballguy** · 02-13-2013, 11:27 AM

Ravens | Owner wants Joe Flacco signed quickly
Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:16:04 -0800

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti hosted the team's braintrust in Florida last weekend and the theme was how the team can sign impending free-agent QB Joe Flacco as quickly as possible.

https://twitter.com/mortreport/statu...35492569931776

**bmorecareful** · 02-13-2013, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Paintballguy

Ravens | Owner wants Joe Flacco signed quickly
Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:16:04 -0800

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti hosted the team's braintrust in Florida last weekend and the theme was how the team can sign impending free-agent QB Joe Flacco as quickly as possible.

https://twitter.com/mortreport/statu...35492569931776

This is a very good thing. The upside of this whole situation is that conditions are actually pretty good for a deal to happen quickly. The team has almost no leverage and a ton of incentive to get something done quickly. Flacco obviously wants the deal gone sooner rather than later as well and wants to avoid the tag at all costs.

At this point the question almost becomes which is the least-worst situation: 1) "overpay" (whatever that means) quickly, have a productive offseason, and face the future cap consequences in 2014 and beyond, or 2) use the tag, do nothing in the offseason, and hope/pray that somehow you can save a few million off the future cap by haggling as hard as possible now.

It seems mind-numbingly obvious to me that the FO is better served to take option #1. Just give Flacco what he wants now, put a good team around him in 2013, and deal with the future when it comes.

**jonboy79** · 02-13-2013, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Paintballguy

Ravens | Owner wants Joe Flacco signed quickly
Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:16:04 -0800

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti hosted the team's braintrust in Florida last weekend and the theme was how the team can sign impending free-agent QB Joe Flacco as quickly as possible.

https://twitter.com/mortreport/statu...35492569931776

IMO, the two most important to this for the Ravens are expediency and structure. Linta has already stated that Flacco and himself are open to friendly structure, so that leaves expediency. To get this deal done quickly, IMO the right move is to roll over on the $20m per year, and simply make it a LOOOONNNNGGGG contract so as to make that number less cumbersome. 7-8 years, and on the backside of the deal it will seem like a bargain. This should help get it done quickly as Linta can brag about the biggest contract in NFL history, his $20m per year, and by being a friendly structure it necissarily wil have a lot of guaranteed money and good money in the2 sand 3 year payouts.

**leachisabeast** · 02-13-2013, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by bmorecareful

This is a very good thing. The upside of this whole situation is that conditions are actually pretty good for a deal to happen quickly. The team has almost no leverage and a ton of incentive to get something done quickly. Flacco obviously wants the deal gone sooner rather than later as well and wants to avoid the tag at all costs.

At this point the question almost becomes which is the least-worst situation: 1) "overpay" (whatever that means) quickly, have a productive offseason, and face the future cap consequences in 2014 and beyond, or 2) use the tag, do nothing in the offseason, and hope/pray that somehow you can save a few million off the future cap by haggling as hard as possible now.

It seems mind-numbingly obvious to me that the FO is better served to take option #1. Just give Flacco what he wants now, put a good team around him in 2013, and deal with the future when it comes.

Or hope that the cap increases in those years.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 02-13-2013, 12:09 PM

Just get it done...PLEASE. And not in April...

**pslholder96** · 02-13-2013, 12:56 PM

I'm skeptical that this will get done quickly. Steve B said himself during the year end press conference that they won't overreact during this "euphoria". Joe and his agent kind of have the ravens right where they want them.

**jonboy79** · 02-13-2013, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by pslholder96

I'm skeptical that this will get done quickly. Steve B said himself during the year end press conference that they won't overreact during this "euphoria". Joe and his agent kind of have the ravens right where they want them.

bent over a barrell... whihc is why it WILL be done sooner rather then later. The Ravens would literally be cutting off their nose to spite their face to quibble over a few million dollars. Git er dunnnnn....

**bt12483** · 02-13-2013, 01:26 PM

I believe 2015 is when the new TV revenue increase comes...if they can structure the contract to be higher after 2015 it will make things easier for future cap issues.

**The Excellector** · 02-13-2013, 01:35 PM

Steve Bisciotti believes that Joe Flacco is the key reason why the team has been consistently successful over the years, and told Tony Lombardi as much. He has talked about the importance of having a high quality QB in this league, on several occasions, if I am not mistaken. Right now, the team and Flacco are on good terms and he doesn't want to take a chance at that changing, by darn near any means.

They offered Joe Flacco a top 5 contract, but Joe turned it down. Part of the reason why was, because it wouldn't have increased his salary for the season that just ended.

So, he decided to roll the dice. The team went with it. He rolled a seven. Pay him.

**cbaywolf** · 02-13-2013, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by pslholder96

Wow, 7 of the top 10 cap hits belong to QBs..shocking

And the #10 QB in terms of cap hit is freaking Kevin Kolb at 13.5 Million in 2013- What a disaster that turned out to be- and that was for a QB who had done next to nothing! Our QB has won 9 playoff games and a Super Bowl- He deserves his 20 Mill average...

**The Excellector** · 02-13-2013, 02:35 PM

It's not as if all twenty million will count toward the cap.

**RavensRule21215** · 02-13-2013, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

It's not as if all twenty million will count toward the cap.

And 4-5 years from now $20M will look like a steal for the Ravens.

**Paintballguy** · 02-13-2013, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

It's not as if all twenty million will count toward the cap.

I think that's the biggest thing which some people aren't grasping.

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**pslholder96** · 02-14-2013, 03:23 PM

I believe BMoreravor already pointed this out in a recent article but the ravens could still slap the exlusive franchise tag on Flacco at the price of a non exclusive franchise tag until April 19th. Give us some more time to make a deal.
By the way I think PFT stole this story from BMoreravor

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...on-flacco-tag/