Merged: Will Mason Return?

[Purple Punishment]

[quote name='Twoo' date='06 March 2010 - 02:06 PM' timestamp='1267902385' post='371319']
Sorry Mason, you missed the bus. As much as I'd like to have you, we're better off without a player who only cares about money and contract length when he only anticipates playing for one more year (which he's said numerous times).
[/quote]

+1 for you

Anquan Boldin has been wanting to play for our organization, and probably could have received a better contract, but he wants to be here with us!

Derrick Mason, where is your desire to play for us now? We got the missing piece and now you want to play games?

[POE]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='06 March 2010 - 02:21 PM' timestamp='1267903288' post='371337']
Pay the man!
[/quote]
As much as Mason wants his last pot of money before he hangs it up, he is going to have to weigh out his options. He knows that if he re-signs with us it gives our team and himself another shot at the Super Bowl. Nothing is guarenteed but he knows how good we could be with him back in our lineup and that's what will eventually change his thought process and eventually come back home. If I am completely wrong though there are plenty of options still left out there for the taking, and either way it works out our WR group will be improved from previous years' rosters.

[Jamal]

Well Ozzie and company better be focused on either bringing Mason back, or finding his replacement.

[JohnJohnson]

How can Mason be worth more to another team than he is to the Ravens? I know there is some interest from the Pats and Dolphins, but they're not going to give him a big contract. He made his decisions/requests, we'll just have to see what he's offered. Something tells me he's not gonna get the contract he was looking for.

[The Flock]

If he doesn't want to come back and be a Raven, and all he want's is the money so be it. If you don't want to be on a winning team that's fine with me.

[theFRANCHISE]

Though I raised my eyebrow when Mason rejected the initial two-year offer on the table, I wonder whether it was because Mason wants one last payday or because the Ravens were lowballing him significantly. It depends.

I want Mason back and I think it wouldn't be prudent to simply let him walk, but I also don't want to break the bank for him. A $3 million payday in 2010 would be reasonable in my mind, and that's a bit generous for an aging veteran on his last legs. If Mason's looking for $5-7 million upfront, it won't happen.

Should Mason not return, I hope that Adam Schefter gets the scoop on whether the Ravens were really lowballing Mason that significantly.

[Slim]

No one can make those incredible catches close to the sideline mason does ! Okay we have Boldin, and i love this guy !!! i've been asking for him for like 2 years lol !!! But D-Mase, he is still one of the best or maybe the best at sidelines catches and route running, he's got one of the best double moves in the league and [size="4"][b]WASHINGTON WON'T REPLACE THAT !!! NOR CLAYTON !!![/b][/size]

[Ravens52]

Mason and Boldin would be deadly. We need Mason back, if one gets double covered then it leaves the other open for single coverage.

[poedacrow]

Derrick Mason has got to know that, with the acquisition of Boldin, he and the Ravens offense immediatley become a formidable force in the AFCN and the NFL.

One would think that alone would be motivation enough but I'm not so jaded that I can't see that this is a business; and a very lucrative one for those involved.

I can't decide for Mr. Mason...but I can decide to soldier on as a tried and true Raven Fan
in his absence.

I hope he stays but I won't become a Dolphin or Patriot fan if he doesn't.

[RedFire]

who would offer mason more money than the ravens? ravens core got talked about sooo bad he aint gonna make more money elsewhere. mason works great for our system!

[Wacko4Zacko]

[quote name='RedFire' date='06 March 2010 - 05:23 PM' timestamp='1267914232' post='371517']
who would offer mason more money than the ravens? ravens core got talked about sooo bad he aint gonna make more money elsewhere. mason works great for our system!
[/quote]
Obviously the Dolphins and Patriots

[Yatagarasu]

[quote name='Wacko4Zacko' date='06 March 2010 - 02:30 PM' timestamp='1267914615' post='371521']
Obviously the Dolphins and Patriots
[/quote]

I hope Mason plays his last years as a Raven.

[Jamal]

Flacco wants Mason back. FO better do as he wants.

[HDG-52]

I agree that the right thing to do is re-sign Mason and let him retire where his heart is , but we all know that we didn't do that with Stover and it screwed us . Hopefully we will learn from that mistake and do right with this one . We need to find a kicker also , Cundiff is ok but we need better . Keep Koch too .

[K-Dog]

It would be in our best intrests to keep Mase.
As good as Bolden is, Mase and Flacco already have a working relationship. There is no learing curve there. Game one Flacco and Mase will be as ready as ever. Bolden is just icing on the cake. and you dont want icing with out cake...

[BuckWilds]

Why allow a chance Mason will leave and just put Boldin in Mason's position, as the guy getting double-teamed? There needs to be multiple threats at WR on every play. Re-sign Mason so Flacco and the new WR's have a guide/veteran of the system to lean on.

There's no need to leave the WR group in a "I think we're better" state. The WR position needs to be a "I know without question, doubt or reservation that we're many steps above where we were last year" state. That includes re-signing Mason and having Boldin, Mason, Stallworth in the mix so other coordinators can't focus on one player.

Give Mason a place to retire, here in Baltimore. Give him his multi-year deal. He has earned it.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='Wacko4Zacko' date='06 March 2010 - 05:30 PM' timestamp='1267914615' post='371521']
Obviously the Dolphins and Patriots
[/quote]
That's not obvious. Have the offered him a contract higher than the one the Ravens offered?

Once again: pay the man!

[BuckWilds]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='07 March 2010 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1267971137' post='371856']
That's not obvious. Have the offered him a contract higher than the one the Ravens offered?

Once again: pay the man!
[/quote]

Agreed. There's little reason to not get him signed.

[McBoller]

pay THE man. as was said b4, I hope the FO learned their lesson with the stover debacle. Mason should retire a Raven, no ifs, ands, or buts.

[FerrariFan87]

Mason [i]should[/i] come back, there's really no reason why he wouldn't, unless he gets an offer he just can't refuse. I'm confident that Ozzie will work his magic.

[ravenz_fan]

[quote name='JoeCool' date='06 March 2010 - 01:11 PM' timestamp='1267899090' post='371241']
Technically, the Ravens have already upgraded their reciever core. Boldin and stallworth are an upgrade, not to mention a potential pick in the draft. however, i still think the ravens should re-sign mason. he is teh missing piece to this receieving core. we have a guy to strecth the field and a physical reciever. now we need our possession guy.
[/quote]
couldnt agree more

[Twoo]

Mason will break and sign with the Ravens under OUR terms, not his own. My belief is Mason is edging on retirement and he wants his ring before he hangs up the cleats. The Ravens give him the best opportunity to do that. The Patriots and the Dolphins do not. He also wants #1 receiver money when he's no longer our #1.

[SuRihtanil]

Mason will be back because the fans want him back but so does the team especially Joe.

[Wacko4Zacko]

Mason will be the best #2 reciever in the league if he comes back. Boldin will be getting double covered, so mason will get open mroe easily.

[JEEPercreepermd]

After all Derrick has done for this team, he deserves to get paid. I mean, he played with one arm for the better part of the 08 season, then dealt with the loss of Mcnair in the offseason, got himself through it all, decided to not retire and came back to have yet another steller season. PAY HIM.

[Guest RBates]

Thank goodness the most of us want to bring back Mason. I was afraid that i would get on here and everyone would think that we are set because of the Anquan trade. Not so, look Mason and Flacco have great chemistry please don't mess that up. We need Gaither and Mason to pull this off. What an insurance policy in the event that anyone gets hurt if we can sign them all.

[RavensAllTheWay]

[quote name='Zhamtao' date='07 March 2010 - 10:11 AM' timestamp='1267971117' post='371855']
Why allow a chance Mason will leave and just put Boldin in Mason's position, as the guy getting double-teamed? There needs to be multiple threats at WR on every play. Re-sign Mason so Flacco and the new WR's have a guide/veteran of the system to lean on.

There's no need to leave the WR group in a "I think we're better" state. The WR position needs to be a "I know without question, doubt or reservation that we're many steps above where we were last year" state. That includes re-signing Mason and having Boldin, Mason, Stallworth in the mix so other coordinators can't focus on one player.

Give Mason a place to retire, here in Baltimore. Give him his multi-year deal. He has earned it.
[/quote]
True. Our difficulty last year and in previous years was that Mason was our only threat. If he was taken out of the equation, there was no actual #2 threat to pick up the slack. It takes at least two really good WRs to make a receiving corps dangerous in the nfl.

[Twoo]

[b]NEWS FROM THIS MORNING[/b]

The acquisition of wide receiver Anquan Boldin hasn't eliminated the return of Derrick Mason, but the Ravens no longer consider Mason a priority in free agency, a league source said.

Mason, 36, an unrestricted free agent, has been the Ravens' top wide receiver for the past five seasons.

Before free agency began Friday, it looked like Mason would come back to the Ravens because both sides were agreeable to a two-year contract. But Mason chose to test the free-agent market and ultimately lost his leverage Friday, when the Ravens traded third- and fourth-round draft picks for Boldin and a fifth-round selection.

Mason and Boldin are similar receivers who will make the tough catch underneath but won't stretch defenses down the field. The Ravens would still want to bring back Mason because he would be a solid No. 2 wide receiver and would continue to upgrade a group of Boldin, Donte' Stallworth and Mark Clayton.

"My understanding is that Derrick wants to come back," quarterback Joe Flacco told the NFL Network on Saturday. "It's up to what happens with the guys upstairs. We love Derrick. He's been a huge asset for myself and why we're such a successful football team. You know my feelings on it. We just have to see what happens."

There's no urgency to pursue Mason because he hasn't drawn heavy interest in free agency. The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins have reportedly contacted him, but no visits have been scheduled.

There's even a possibility that the Ravens could wait until after the draft to re-sign Mason. The Ravens might take a wide receiver in the first two rounds, but they would need to add a veteran target if they fail to draft a young one.

Mason's agent has not returned messages from The Baltimore Sun.

Mason has been one of the top free-agent pickups in team history since joining the Ravens in 2005. He ranks second on the Ravens in career catches and has produced three seasons with 80 or more catches (no other Raven has caught more than 76 passes in a season).

Last summer, Mason abruptly retired for 20 days before returning early in training camp. He finished with 73 receptions (second on the team) and struggled in the playoffs with five catches.

[b]LINK:[/b]
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bal-sp.ravens07mar07,0,4017435.story

[Yatagarasu]

I think it will all settle out because Front Office knows that Derrick Mason is still a huge part of the offense.

With Boldin, Stallworth, and some other player, Derrick Mason will be better because the backfield has to respect a receiving corp of that type of caliber.

Mason will not regret coming.

Remember we don't play a #1, #2, or #3 receivers, we have X, Y, and Z.

That's how you play and that's how you succeed.

[itscbm5042]

I want to see Mason sign with another team because that will force the Ravens hand to sign a UFA like Antonio Bryant (more a #1 than a #2 but can go deep and has great hands, he has been stuck on a bad team with a bad QB situation and the one time he had a decent QB throwing to him, he had a big year). Antonio Bryant > Mason on the 2010 Ravens...

Anquan Boldin
Antonio Bryant
Donte Stallworth

Thats a dynamic 1-2-3 and a huge upgrade for the Ravens receiving corps. They know they can't go into the season without a #2 they also know they brought Stallworth in to be the #3. They will do something, whether its resigning Mason or signing a UFA like Bryant.