A little over two years ago the Baltimore Ravens signed then free agent tackle Eugene Monroe to a 5-year, $37.5M deal with an $11M Signing Bonus; $19 million guaranteed ($17.5M fully guaranteed: $1.5M of 2016 base salary guaranteed for injury only).
At the time many were surprised by the relatively quiet market for Monroe’s services and concluded that the Ravens landed a bargain.
“Ozzie strikes again!” echoed throughout The Land of Pleasant Living.
Two years later we now realize that Ozzie [Newsome] actually struck out.
Monroe would only play in 17 of the Ravens next 34 meaningful games. It’s safe to say the signing was an absolute bust!
We can criticize Monroe for his lack of passion, uninspired play and his me-first approach. We can say he wasn’t a company guy and didn’t play like a Raven.
All of those things may be true.
It’s these things that forced the Ravens to spend their first round pick on Ronnie Stanley and part ways with the enigmatic Monroe.
And today we learned that Monroe has decided to retire.
That comes as no surprise. After all he lauded his friend and fellow Virginia Cavalier D’Brickashaw Ferguson for walking away from the game this past April. The signs were there for Monroe to exit the game.
And the Ravens saw them.
Is Monroe wrong to walk away from the game?
Is it wrong for him to prioritize his health and his family over his desire to continue playing the game he claims to love and accept the risks to his body, to his future quality of life?
Of course not!
We’re all just ticked that he took the Ravens for a ride and he’s forced them to make moves that they probably didn’t think they had to make just 2 years after committing to Monroe as their franchise left tackle.
It’s possible that Monroe’s epiphany struck after he signed his most recent contract. Maybe after some nagging injuries that wouldn’t go away, injuries that he refused to mask with opioids, other things became more important to him.
Maybe he’s been frugal with his money and invested it wisely and no longer needs the $6.5M annual salary at the expense of his health and his future.
The unfortunate thing is that the Ravens have no financial recourse. They can’t get a refund on the unamortized portion of Monroe’s signing bonus. It’s one of the flaws of the salary cap driven system. Even if Monroe offered to give money back, the Ravens cap still takes it in the shorts.
Conversely in MLB, if Chris Davis decides to retire tomorrow, the Orioles aren’t on the hook for the balance of his $161M contract. But in the NFL, with the upfront guarantees, teams are exposed if they sign a guy like Monroe. And that in part is why the Ravens look for a certain kind of player in the draft, even in free agency. They want men who love the game of football – men who despite the riches, still just love to lace them up on Sundays and compete.
That’s not Eugene Monroe – at least not anymore.
So the lesson for the Ravens, and really any NFL team, is to realize that before they sign a player to his second or third contract, before they shell out that signing bonus and drag it out over 5 years for cap purposes, be sure that the player is committed to the game. It will never be fail proof because time does change things as they did for Monroe.
But go the extra mile to seek the true passion in a player and understand the man, before making the investment. Because the more these early retirements happen, the more they will continue to happen.
And when they do it taxes an organization’s ability to field a competitive team.
As for the 29-year-old Monroe, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him and how his campaign for cannabis ends.
Hopefully, like his NFL career, it doesn’t go up in smoke.
It’s time I put my health and my family first. It’s time for me to retire. https://t.co/nW83Djhk0d
— Eugene Monroe (@MrEugeneMonroe) July 21, 2016
