[News] Free Agency Rumor Mill

[BR News]

We’ll round up some of the latest free agency news and rumors related to the Ravens.

[url=http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Free-Agency-Rumor-Mill/da7e6d28-8129-4b6b-a443-b543b4d8d47b]View the full article[/url]

[chevalier]

losing Ellerbe would be a definitely huge loss but with his injury history i can't imagine he's going to get THAT big a deal. Also its Peter King, by far the most untrustworthy opinion making writer ever. This is the guy that said the Ravens would let joe walk to the Browns for picks and sign Alex Smith. yeah. Peter king is not worth ever mentioning in these articles.

[NickShoniker]

Up until now I hadn't heard anything about potentially bringing in Ricky Jean-Francois as a rotational player. Not sure how I feel about it, I'd actually like to see Baltimore go after someone like Rashean Mathis (Who was released from the Jaguars today). Yes he is 33, but he is still solid in coverage, and could provide some leadership to Webb, Smith, Graham, Brown and Jackson. He could also potentially be moved to safety, if Ed goes else where.

[Jeff_Raven247]

Man i hope someone in our division overpays for ellerbe and kruger ,We have a crap ton of picks and this years draft has a ton of depth which is exactly what we need i say we trade our 1st for some some 2rds and get this show on the road.

[ravensykoh]

Losing Ed is far worse then Ellerbe going else where. Without Ed our defense would have been a complete joke and decimated. Losing Ray and Ed at the same time would be a costly blow and I personally do not think our defense is ready for that. Offenses still have to gameplan and scheme for Ed. He is more of a valuable asset to this team then Ellerbe. Ozzie has found gems at inside linebacker multiple times. Also with the draft being defense heavy we can easily draft 1-2 inside linebackers. Ed is far more important than Ellerbe.

[The Beak]

Simply stated, Ellerbe is pricing himself towards a bottom feeder team!!!

[J.O.14]

Ellerbe had ONE good season so far. Yes he is a heck of a player, but he is injury prone so he shouldn't get a lot of money from anybody. I still think the ravens bring him back. I just hope we retain a couple guys on Defense. Everyone that is a FA was a really key piece to our D last season.

[kinghavok]

One thing that scares me is Reed is possibly 1 good hit away from a suspension,so do we pay top dollar knowing this? Seriously though losing him or any other free agent is going to be rough one to swallow.

[Tremp73]

Maybe Adaliaus Thomas and Bart Scott should give Krueger and Ellerbe some advice on jumping teams just for the money. Name one linebacker....or player for that matter....that was established as a starter that had better seasons after he left the Ravens

[KiwiRaven52]

Here is what Ellerbe should be asking himself. More Money or Superbowls?

[fusuymada]

I want to touch on Ellerbe. Remember his preseason interception and touchdown taunt his rookie year that ended him up in the doghouse and on the practice squad for almost a full year. He them was used sparingly until injuries forced him to play and he proved to be a beast. I don't think Harbaugh is Ellerbe's favorite person and I look for him to leave and take whatever deal is offered to him. I don't think Ellerbe has any allegiance to Baltimore at all if you listen to him talk and he is in it for a payday so I don't see Ellerbe even wanting to be a Raven next year. When you put players in doghouses and they are old like McKinnie they don't care they suck it up and take the deal but if you are young and looking for a good home, being thrown in the doghouse for a touchdown dance is not a good recruiting tool. Mark my words, money or not, Ellerbe doesn't want to be here.

[heycuf]

We need to get Ngata help upfront.At times,he looked like the only Raven on the line.

[CapoRocky]

I am really looking forward to the draft and who we pick up as a 3rd tier free agent to replace them.

[CapoRocky]

[quote name='NickShoniker' timestamp='1362589734' post='1379630']
Up until now I hadn't heard anything about potentially bringing in Ricky Jean-Francois as a rotational player. Not sure how I feel about it, I'd actually like to see Baltimore go after someone like Rashean Mathis (Who was released from the Jaguars today). Yes he is 33, but he is still solid in coverage, and could provide some leadership to Webb, Smith, Graham, Brown and Jackson. He could also potentially be moved to safety, if Ed goes else where.
[/quote]

This is the kind of free agent that the Ravens will most likely pursue.

[monahco]

[quote name='fusuymada' timestamp='1362662438' post='1380423']
I want to touch on Ellerbe. Remember his preseason interception and touchdown taunt his rookie year that ended him up in the doghouse and on the practice squad for almost a full year. He them was used sparingly until injuries forced him to play and he proved to be a beast. I don't think Harbaugh is Ellerbe's favorite person and I look for him to leave and take whatever deal is offered to him. I don't think Ellerbe has any allegiance to Baltimore at all if you listen to him talk and he is in it for a payday so I don't see Ellerbe even wanting to be a Raven next year. When you put players in doghouses and they are old like McKinnie they don't care they suck it up and take the deal but if you are young and looking for a good home, being thrown in the doghouse for a touchdown dance is not a good recruiting tool. Mark my words, money or not, Ellerbe doesn't want to be here.
[/quote]
I think Ellerbe wants to be in Baltimore for his teammates not Harbaugh. Either way he's going with whoever pays him the most.

[easternshore97]

so how much does $11m really buy you? Would everyone have to be on bonus for the 2013 year?

[arrow]

Paul Kruger and Cary Williams are long gone. They helped get us the Lombardi. They earned their rings. Time to move on for us.

Kruger's a pass-rush specialist for a 3/4 defense. Bettter now, but still not good enough in coverage or run-stopping to be a 3-down LB [for us]. Take the money & bank it, Cleveland or elsewhere. It probably won't be a contending team. Certainly not one with Cap issues. It might just be your last contract.

Cary Williams is not a shut-down corner like Webb. We still have Corey Graham, Jimmy Smith, Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson, and Chris Johnson [and Webb]. Would have been released anyway if he'd taken the 3-year 15M offer last year - too high a Cap hit for us. Just might not get a better offer now from someone else. There's a reason he was usually targeted by the opposing QB. And not just because we had Pollard and Reed.

[tbird]

[quote name='Tremp73' timestamp='1362611933' post='1379959']
Maybe Adaliaus Thomas and Bart Scott should give Krueger and Ellerbe some advice on jumping teams just for the money. Name one linebacker....or player for that matter....that was established as a starter that had better seasons after he left the Ravens
[/quote]
PRIEST HOLMES. Is there a prize???

[arrow]

{reposting from another thread, mostly}

Ed Reed's value to the Ravens will never really show up in fantasy-football type stats. Teams still gameplan for him and throw away from him. In FOUR games Tom Brady [41 54= 95 pass attempts] and Peyton Manning [28 43= 71] threw a grand total of SIX passes towards his coverage area (source: Matt Vensel's Baltimore Sun interview with Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus). Think about it.

He's 34 and not as quick. His torn labrum and neck nerve impingement made him a less effective tackler. But his mere presence makes the other ten defenders much better [just as Ray did and Sizzle does].
His locker-room leadership, film-study mentoring and back-end in-game quarterbacking make his re-signing a must.

Most of all, Ed Reed is a Raven. He's played like one for 12 years and must retire as one. I want NO CHANCE of him going to Canton in another uniform. He deserves a send-off at M&T.

Give him a Cap-friendly 2-3 year contract, low on salary & front-loaded with a big signing bonus that'll deaden the dead-money hit down the road when the NFL Cap is higher. We still need him.

[77rus]

NFL.com did an exposure piece on how different free agent players would look if were to go to another team. There is an Ed Reed picture. It's painful just to look at it. James Harrison's picture on the other hand is quite funny
[url="http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap1000000147634"]http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap1000000147634[/url]

[arrow]

Pretty good article by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/storylist/21826349/3/team-by-team-free-agency-previews/free-agency-preview-ravens

[Mystigo_Dragon]

Tbird, and others! You know what Tremp73 and I are saying! Usually a player who has established a noteworthy body of work for one team, it rarely translates to similar success on another!

That's not an absolute, of course, but the point we're both trying to make is that LBs who've play one way with the Ravens often haven't been able to capture that same fire elsewhere!

Ed Hartwell and Adaleus Thomas were gone within 3 years after shunning the Ravens' offer for "greener pastures"!

Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard went to NY with Rex and they're both gone from the Jets and two's on the depth charts of lesser teams!

I dare say that Jared Johnson didn't have a stellar year with the Bolts!

Yes, Priest Holmes went to K.C. and excelled but for every Priest Holmes, there's at least three Ed Hartwells!

[JimA3_3]

I believe these guys would love to stay Ravens.. but economics from both sides may not line up enough for either side. If X company needs you to take a pay cut to stay... and Y company is offering you more money ! You know your playing(work) time is short. You would have to go with the Y company !! Sad but true.

[chevalier]

we'll keep Ellerbe. he's only 4 years in, and to compare him to Bart Scott or someone else is silly. He was clearly our best defender when reasonably healthy. We can' say "oh Lewis made him look good" actually its quite the opposite this year.

The problem is his injury history. His agent will want to pretend it doesnt exist and that will make negotiations tricky. Fact is, Ell has missed games last couple years - you can't pay elite ILB money with that. He's only 4 years in though he's just getting to his prime. He'll stay i'm confident.

[flaccosberger]

If Ellerbe commands too much on the open market does that leave the back door open for Kruger resigning?

[iluvpurple]

Sometimes agents are a pain in the butt. I understand their line of work, but ........!

[brob99]

Got a feeling only Reed will be returning.
Ellerbe and Kruger made up a huge % of our splash plays last season, so it's a worry.
Can't really blame Ozzie getting to this point, both players are somewhat "one-year wonders", only coming through in their contract years. I think Ozzie set their fate when he extended McClain (up to that point less flashy but more durable and reliable than Ellerbe) and drafted Upshaw.

[Stephenjr]

Ellerbe may be doing himself a disservice,because of his injury history and lack of starts.Ravens now can see what his market value is and maybe able to save some money,but I dought it because Cleavland would love to have our whole team and would pay mega bucks even for our worst free agents!!

[Stephenjr]

It figures that there has to be a salary cap in football.

[propjoe]

If Ellerbe doesn't resign with team then next man up & Joe / Ray / Offense please put up 38 pts a game...