Birk to finalize return

[Tyrian]

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
A deal between the Baltimore Ravens and veteran center Matt Birk is imminent. Birk back to Baltimore.

Moriarty's busy.

[SouthSide]

clap...clap...clap

[arnie_uk]

well his agent said this half an hour ago

Linta on Birk: "But Matt would love to stay a Raven and we won't look elsewhere unless we can't make it work with the Ravens."

and this "We had a good talk. We're fielding calls from other teams (as Matt is now a free agent)."

so they contradict abit, i think i believe his agent

[Tyrian]

Don't believe agents unless they're officially announcing a signing.

Aaron Wilson ‏ @RavensInsider Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Contract for Matt Birk to return to Ravens expected to come in at around $3 million. Deal is getting close

3 million? For a one year deal?

[Bhcforlife]

Meh. Not sure how they can expect different results from what they saw at the end of last year and in the playoffs. He looked done. Hopefully, come September, he's here as a backup and not as the starting C.

[JustaslowZ06]

Hopefully as a mentorship not the starter. Kiss a ring goodbye if he is.

[leachisabeast]

3 million $, are you kidding me???? Man this FA period has been a joke so far for us.

[SouthSide]

I still think we need Gurode as C depth, if not to flat out compete for the starting job. Birk's late season and playoff performance was a little scary at times.

[JAB1985]

eh, better than no center. I like birk, but i think his playing days are pretty much over. Im still curious what other C they bring on.

[leachisabeast]

eh, better than no center. I like birk, but i think his playing days are pretty much over. Im still curious what other C they bring on.

For 3 million you'd expect him to be starting, not benching....

[Bhcforlife]

3mil is alot of money for a guy who didn't look like he had anything left last year. That also isn't backup money. I'm not one to rush to judgment on Ravens FO moves but this is a little puzzling. I mean, it was basically like playing with four offensive linemen against the Patriots with how he couldn't do anything to slow Wilfork down.

Think they will draft a C, but clearly with the money they are now paying Birk, they aren't paying him that to stand on the sideline and "mentor" whoever they draft.

[JustaslowZ06]

Now can we move Oher back to LT and reclaim worse OL in the league again?

But I agree, for 3M that says starter and MAYBE drafting a Konz who can slide it late in the year when Birk is in the old folks home.

[arnie_uk]

if we bring back birk i think that rules konz out, expecially at that money, we have too many needs to draft a guy in the first to sit.. we need an impact from our first. It points more to a blake/valchos/brewster/molk/jones in round 3 or after to sit and learn for a year

Now can we move Oher back to LT and reclaim worse OL in the league again?

But I agree, for 3M that says starter and MAYBE drafting a Konz who can slide it late in the year when Birk is in the old folks home.

[Hammerhead]

Now can we move Oher back to LT and reclaim worse OL in the league again?

But I agree, for 3M that says starter and MAYBE drafting a Konz who can slide it late in the year when Birk is in the old folks home.

$3M with incentives or without? If we only have $7.7M in cap space, spending $3M of it on Birk is truly puzzling. It just doesn't add up.

[JustaslowZ06]

if we bring back birk i think that rules konz out, expecially at that money, we have too many needs to draft a guy in the first to sit.. we need an impact from our first. It points more to a blake/valchos/brewster/molk/jones in round 3 or after to sit and learn for a year

I'm not so sure. I have faith in the FO, for the most part, but if they expect Birk to last another year and through the playoffs in a SB push it could be their worst mistake since hanging onto Boller.

[JustaslowZ06]

$3M with incentives or without? If we only have $7.7M in cap space, spending $3M of it on Birk is truly puzzling. It just doesn't add up.

Doesn't really matter though. Hopefully it's bum scoop. It could be the vet min and than totalling 3M with playing incentives, think he's not gonna force himself onto the field when he has no business being out there to nail that extra Mill, or however it's written up?

[Bhcforlife]

I was just going to say this seems more to me like a bandaid and gives them the ability to not draft a C in the first round. Birk for another year would give a mid round C a year to develop, while they could address a position like MLB/OLB or WR in the first. I don't like Birk's chances of staying healthy and, more importantly, effective, for an entire season though.

[steelerhater]

well his agent said this half an hour ago

Linta on Birk: "But Matt would love to stay a Raven and we won't look elsewhere unless we can't make it work with the Ravens."

and this "We had a good talk. We're fielding calls from other teams (as Matt is now a free agent)."

so they contradict abit, i think i believe his agent

What he meant was that every other team watched Birk's performance down the stretch last year and that he didn't expect any team to be remotely interested in him.

[Irish Raven]

$3M is a whole chunk of cap space and we don't have much

I didn't think the deal would be that high.
Possibly even half of this

[arnie_uk]

lol probably, was making the point that he didnt say anything about an offer, or a deal

What he meant was that every other team watched Birk's performance down the stretch last year and that he didn't expect any team to be remotely interested in him.