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In Free Agency, Don’t be Let Down: Expect Disappointment

Ravens fans in the rain
Joey Pulone/Baltimore Ravens
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If I can sum up the anticipated upcoming NFL Tampering and Free Agency period for the Ravens in one quote, I’d go with M.J. from Spider-Man: No Way Home (mostly because I’m a Marvel nerd)…

“If you expect disappointment, you can never really be disappointed.”

Yep. I’m doing the Debbie Downer thing. Reality sucks. Deal with it because it’s time to accept the truth…

To assume you’ll hear the Baltimore Ravens name attached to any notable free agents or trade partners in the next several weeks may be wishful thinking at best, and it’s better to accept the reality of the situation now, than it is to get angry at EDC & Co. every time another team adds another free agent that fans covet. The gravity of the scenario at hand is going to continue to paint the Ravens brass in a less than flattering light from the fan base’s perspective, despite the implausible nature of what’s expected, compared to what’s possible.

So what are fans expecting to happen in the next few days into weeks?

For starters, many fans are expecting the team to add a wide receiver of note, and if we’re being honest here, the demand is for a trade – not a free agent signing – to obtain said wideout. I mean, who wouldn’t prefer DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, or Courtland Sutton, among others (not Mike Evans, don’t be ridiculous) to Allen Lazard, DJ Chark, Marvin Jones or Jakobi Meyers? The potential talent available via trade is far greater than free agent options, and the Ravens haven’t had that veteran WR1-type on the roster since the Steve Smith Sr. days… it’s been a minute.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens desperately need an outside cornerback to replace Marcus Peters… or maybe the answer is just more Peters? Either way, free agency is flush with talent at the position, and if yesterday’s trade of Jalen Ramsey taught us anything, it’s that Ravens fans want to see a big swing here as well…

But yanno… after a wideout… because priorities matter!

Oh and there’s also a hole at Left Guard and some pass rushing depth is surely needed, but let’s focus on what fans will lock in on this week, and that’s those splashy positions.

So what’s the reality of the situation?

The reality is that the Ravens are handcuffed for the foreseeable future, barring a miracle. They can absolutely clear space – upwards of $30M in cap room if they move heaven and earth – but when you begin to account for the draft class, the practice squad, and the in-season insurance? That number could look much more like $10-15M than that pretty $30M.

But that means they can still go splash with that $10-15M, right?

RIGHT?!

That depends entirely on what Lamar Jackson does, and what risk the team is willing to take.

If Wednesday rolls around and Lamar sees the phone isn’t ringing, he could opt to get with EDC and sign off on the Ravens’ latest offer. If that happens, we absolutely could see Baltimore make some moves,  most notably signing a wideout to satiate their star quarterback (I almost wonder if that carrot hasn’t already been dangled, and they’ll let him pick some targets in free agency and the draft should he sign?)

Should the phones remain silent but Lamar contends that he’s worth a fully guaranteed deal and refuses to sign the team’s offer, he could ink that non-exclusive franchise tag right away and still give the team ample room (and time) to make a move – maybe two – within the next week as well. In this scenario, the value to Lamar in expediting the process is to allow Baltimore to add better weapons earlier in free agency to help boost his production in 2023 so he can hit the market again in 2024 (a far better result for him than relying on a drafted rookie, at best).

But if Jackson chooses to dig his heels in on his contract demands and wait it out while the Ravens sweat it out? The team simply cannot do anything at all. That added cap space would need to be reserved in the event a team does make Lamar an offer that he signs off on with a heavily front-loaded first year. The Ravens simply cannot risk spending elsewhere only to lose Jackson to a contract they could’ve matched before adding players via free agency or trade… but cannot once the offer sheet was signed.

Of course there’s also the fourth option, where Lamar gets an offer sheet signed on Wednesday, the Ravens opt to not match almost immediately, the cap space clears from the tag while picking up two Round One picks, then they can play in free agency and the trade market immediately…

But let’s not even think about that outcome right now.

The reality is that barring a change of heart on a long term deal by Jackson, or a desire to sign the tag and allow the team to load him up on wideouts, the Ravens won’t be making any moves in the early parts of free agency. Instead, fans will watch every player they covet sign elsewhere, and the usual social media outrage will ensue.

Who knows? I could be totally wrong (wouldn’t be the first time) and the Ravens could shock us all by going out and trading for Hopkins, or Lamar could shock us and sign the Ravens’ offer any day now!

But when it comes to this free agency period and seeing what’s actually feasible and likely? It’s simply easier to expect disappointment, so you’ll never really be disappointed.

3 Responses

  1. There is certainly nothing in the past 2 years that would lead us to believe that Lamar will fold his cards and give up on his quest for a fully guaranteed deal. It’s far more likely that he drags this out, thus crippling the team’s and his own chances of winning this year.

  2. The biggest disappointment is that we’re still carrying that loser on the roster. I don’t believe the FO has done near enough to get that bum out of here. I know he thinks really highly of himself but he should consider there are QBs who have been in this league a lot shorter amount of time and have accomplished a whole lot more. 😉 I would rather give them (Burrows) a fully guaranteed deal because he has been to a superbowl. In fact, the last time I saw LJ in a playoff game they were carting his broke behind off on a motorized golf cart. How many playoff games have you won Lamar? How many have you actually played in? How many AFC Championship games have you been in Lamar? My coach just signed an extension a few years ago, he could’ve signed a better one if he had a better QB.

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3 Responses

  1. There is certainly nothing in the past 2 years that would lead us to believe that Lamar will fold his cards and give up on his quest for a fully guaranteed deal. It’s far more likely that he drags this out, thus crippling the team’s and his own chances of winning this year.

  2. The biggest disappointment is that we’re still carrying that loser on the roster. I don’t believe the FO has done near enough to get that bum out of here. I know he thinks really highly of himself but he should consider there are QBs who have been in this league a lot shorter amount of time and have accomplished a whole lot more. 😉 I would rather give them (Burrows) a fully guaranteed deal because he has been to a superbowl. In fact, the last time I saw LJ in a playoff game they were carting his broke behind off on a motorized golf cart. How many playoff games have you won Lamar? How many have you actually played in? How many AFC Championship games have you been in Lamar? My coach just signed an extension a few years ago, he could’ve signed a better one if he had a better QB.

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