Ravens owner Steve Biscotti is not shy when expressing his views.
So when he met with the media last week for the first time in nearly three years, he was forthright and downright blunt when talking about his franchise and the state of the NFL.
He also ended any wild speculation he was looking to sell the team.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Right now, I’m really happy with it.”
The future of Lamar Jackson was at the forefront of the discussion and Bisciotti was confident the team would eventually reach a long-term deal with their franchise quarterback.
Bisciotti respects Jackson’s priorities. He is deferring to GM Eric DeCosta to handle the negotiations, which have moved slowly because Jackson does not have a formal agent.
“The kid is so obsessed with winning a Super Bowl, that I think deep down he doesn’t think he’s worthy,” Bisciotti told a small contingent of Baltimore media. “I think he wants to say, ‘Now I deserve to be on top.’ I don’t think he is turned on by money that much and he knows it’s coming one way or the other. People can speculate any way they want.
“But I don’t talk to Lamar. It’s not my role. What are you going to do with a guy who wants to be unique? You don’t browbeat him into being a conformist.”
Bisciotti admitted that Deshaun Watson’s recent deal with the Cleveland Browns complicates the negotiating process. Watson was able to secure a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract from Cleveland after getting traded by the Houston Texans.
What team(s) did Bisciotti almost own before buying Ravens? How'd keeping @raylewis retirement decision quiet go down? How long did Steve 👀 Oz/Joe/Harb sticking around back in '15?
You won't want to miss this never-before-heard interview, #RavensFlock!https://t.co/pgoSqXgjxE
— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) April 1, 2022
The guaranteed money sets a higher bar for quarterbacks, especially when Watson was able to land such a deal amid a myriad of legal problems and not having played a snap last season.
While other owners kept their opinions behind closed doors, Bisciotti was frank about the fallout from such a deal.
“It’s like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract. I don’t know that he should’ve been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract,” Bisciotti said. “To me, that’s something that is groundbreaking, and it’ll make negotiations harder with others.”
The Ravens are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 8-9 finish last season, when their roster was absolutely devastated by injuries. Bisciotti knew right away when running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters were lost for the season during training camp, the Ravens were facing an insurmountable climb to make the postseason for a third straight year.
“I was good emotionally with it because I kind of didn’t think we necessarily deserved to be 8-3. I thought we had gotten very fortunate,” he said. “I didn’t have real high hopes of a playoff run when you’re that depleted.”
The Ravens face uncertainty again this offseason with several holes on the roster and question marks surrounding several of those injured players, most notably left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
However, Bisciotti is confident that coach John Harbaugh is the best choice to lead the Ravens through this unsteady time. Biscotti recently gave Harbaugh a three-year extension, ending any questions about his future with the franchise.
“No interest in having him go lame duck on me here,” Biscotti said. “It’s not fair to him. I think John’s grown and grown and grown. It’s kind of interesting. I don’t feel like I’m just signing up the same guy.”
Bisciotti also raised some eyebrows when he talked about decreasing the seating capacity at M&T Bank Stadium. The days of 70,000 to 80,000 people packing a stadium to attend a regular-season game could be over, and Bisciotti is ready to adjust.
“The one trend that I’m not so sure of, in the middle of COVID and in the middle of us losing a few years ago when we were dwindling attendance, I said, ‘I don’t really care. I’ll lop off half the upper deck.’ I’ll just take a chainsaw to the upper deck and we’ll have a 50,000-seat stadium instead of 70 and it will be full every time and I’ll have a waiting list. If they (messed) with me again, I’ll cut the whole thing off and we’ll have a soccer stadium. Everybody says, ‘Oh, people aren’t going to come, they’re going to buy their big TVs and they’re going to sit in their man cave and watch.’
“Those are kind of hollow threats. Just because I like my TV better doesn’t mean I’m giving up my tradition of doing this. If it’s 10 percent, it’s 10 percent. That might be 7,000 of our 70,000. Well, I’ll get ahead of the thing and cut 20,000 seats out of the stadium and we’ll make it a better stadium at 50 than it is at 70. Maybe, we’re reworking the entire thing, but reducing capacity is not something I’m opposed to.”
Maybe Biscioti should talk more often because he is certainly engaging.
