According to reports, the Ravens are set to send center Gino Gradkowski to the Denver Broncos via trade.
The Ravens are set to send center Gino Gradkowski to Denver Broncos, confirmed source. @caplannfl first reported.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiecsun) April 1, 2015
Adam Caplan first broke the news. Gino Gradkowski reached a performance escalator in his contract, which bumped his 2015 base salary up to $1.574 million. That number is far too high for a back-up center. It was only a matter of time before he was moved from the roster. In order for the trade to become official, Gradkowski will have to pass a Broncos’ team physical according to Aaron Wilson.
Gino Gradkowski has to pass the Broncos’ physical for the trade to become official, otherwise he would revert back to Ravens roster — Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) April 1, 2015
The Ravens will exchange their 2016 5th round pick for the Broncos 2016 4th round pick and Gradkowski.
Ravens get Broncos’ 2016 fourth-round pick in exchange for center Gino Gradkowski and Ravens 2016 fifth-round draft pick, per a source
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) April 1, 2015
Gradkowski’s performance left a lot to be desired as a Raven. In 2013, when he started all 16 games, Gradkowski scored a Pro Football Focus grade of -15.6. That number ranked dead last of all qualifying centers.
In 2014, Jeremy Zuttah took over for him, posting a PFF grade of 1.5. The player who took the back-up position at center, John Urschel, posted a PFF grade of 1.6.
Gradkowski’s poor performance as a full-time starter combined with his high base salary of $1.574M made a move necessary, especially with a very capable back-up already on the roster.
Tyrod Taylor’s 2015 cap number with the Buffalo Bills this season is $883,333 according to OverTheCap.com. Add that to Gino Gradkowski’s base salary and you get approximately $2.457M.
Now here is a quick look at Matt Schaub’s cap numbers, via our own Brian McFarland:
His cap hit in 2015 will be $2M. That’s a difference of $457,333 between Matt Schaub Gradkowski/Taylor.
This is another shrewd move by the Ravens. They make the roster move that they need to by getting rid of Gradkowski’s cap number and get a capable back-up quarterback all the while moving up a round in next year’s draft.
In Ozzie we trust!
