The Ravens have tried their best to extend Lardarius Webb but the two sides can’t seem to reach what each believes is a fair deal. The Ravens likely see an injury prone corner who has declining skills and Webb’s representatives see a sea of green in the free agent market.
Former Seahawks corner Byron Maxwell signed a 6-year, $63 million deal with, who else…the Philadelphia Eagles, $22 million of which is fully guaranteed. The 27-year old Maxwell was ranked as the 45th best corner in the NFL in 2014 by Pro Football Focus while Webb was ranked 78th.
But despite the injuries and his rather poor 2014 campaign, Webb is aware of the seller’s market that is flush with cash and is apparently (like Haloti Ngata was) unwilling to compromise.
So it’s likely that the Ravens will let this one ride out. To cut Webb would save only $2M in cap money and even a Lardarius Webb in decline is tough to replace for $2M.
At 29, and turning 30 in October AND just 3 months younger than Darrelle Revis, the Ravens don’t have much to lose by having Webb playing for his future. A good season in 2015 will likely punch his ticket to get his $8M next season.
But a repeat of 2014 will likely end Webb’s tenure in Baltimore because the Ravens in 2016 can save $6M in cap money.
Hopefully both sides, one year from now, will be glad that they accomplished nothing recently at the bargaining table.
