[News] Ravens Sign WR Steve Smith

[playlikeawhat]

I know he's an older player but he'll bring a lot of wisdom to the slot. Looking forward to watching him outsmart defenders.

[Ravens07]

Will there be a press conference?

[n#7]

A good one year signing but they still have to draft an impact WR. With Smith, the R's could afford to give him time to mature and learn from a veteran.

[Ravens07]

More than just a player, the Ravens are getting a leader, a motivator, a passionate man. He's a prototypical Raven. Glad he's finally on our side.

[stixfix69]

ask yourself how we signed flacco to 100 mil deal when we had like 5 mil in cap space last year, there are allot of ways to make contracts big enough for teams to no match or want to match....

[fusuymada]

Said from the beginning of FA i didn't thin WR was a priority, and i still think that, as Brown did nothing in his rook year to show he couldn't handle the slot...When a rook has a season like Brown, the worst thing you can do, is take balls away from him, you got to let the kid continue to be great..regardless it is done, but i am having a Mack attack, he is the #1 priority IMO....

I think having the type of educational tool that Smith provides to the younger receivers (Torrey Smith included) offsets whatever lost time Brown gets in the way of snaps. I believe in 3 WR sets it will be Brown, not Jacoby Jones, who lines up opposite Torrey Smith with Steve Smith in the slot (or vice versa). I think this is just a nail in the coffin of Deonte Thompson who for one reason or another could never prove himself enough to get playing time. With a young Aaron Mellette to go with Smith, Smith, Jones and Brown there isn't much room left. We carried 6 WR's last year and only 2 RB's which I am sure will change this year. For comparison, the Steelers carried 5 (not inc. practice squad) the Bengals 4. I would even be surprised if the Ravens took a wide receiver in the draft and instead opt for Zach Martin out of ND to play right tackle in the first round. We don't need Mosely, another ILB, and we won't select Pryor or Clinton-Dix because of putting a rookie with a second year player in his first year at strong safety.

[rmcjacket23]

ask yourself how we signed flacco to 100 mil deal when we had like 5 mil in cap space last year, there are allot of ways to make contracts big enough for teams to no match or want to match....

OK, and? We were competing against nobody to sign Flacco.

But be detailed... how do you explain creating a contract that a team with less cap space would be able to afford than a team with a much larger amount of cap space?

If there are many ways... then surely you wouldn't have an issue providing an example of one way. And be sure to provide a way that the Ravens can afford it but the Browns can't.

[Ravens07]

ask yourself how we signed flacco to 100 mil deal when we had like 5 mil in cap space last year, there are allot of ways to make contracts big enough for teams to no match or want to match....

 

Joe's cap hit last year was just $6.8 million.

[stixfix69]

Smith is a hot head, and to describe him as a team leader is somewhat of a joke, team leaders to blow up, and throw teammates, and management under the bus....Boldin lead by example, without being a locker room distraction...If he can behave fine, but when he doesn't get his way, then we will see how it pans out....

[Purpleghost23]

he loves the uniforms...how you cant love those uni????

[stixfix69]

The Browns are going through their cap stash, with all the signings they have done, and center is not a high priced position that would break a team, so if we throw a contract big enough where the Browns feel they would rather have the draft pick, then it's very possible, that is why you don't see teams going after franchised players because of what they have to give up...so yep, very doable..

[purpledown]

Great signing, the Ravens are doing great this offseason in freeagency. Smith will add toughness and attitude to the whole team. Go Ravens.

[rmcjacket23]

ask yourself how we signed flacco to 100 mil deal when we had like 5 mil in cap space last year, there are allot of ways to make contracts big enough for teams to no match or want to match....

And by the way... we didn't sign Flacco to a $100m deal, and we had more than $5m in a cap space.

The $120m figure that a lot of the kid fans like to throw around is a myth.

[TheConquerorWorm]

Ask yourself this... what kind of contract could we sign Mack to that would make it difficult for the Browns to match?

The next person that comes up with one is the first person to come up with one.

We don't need Mack. We just need an upgrade on Gino. Stop shooting for the moon. Its time to shift your fan focus to something reasonable.

I'd consider Peyton Manning and Alex Mack about equally as likely to be Ravens at this time.

You overpay him and you make most of his guaranteed money in 2015-2016. If the Browns match, then they may not have enough money to sign their FA like Joe Hayden, Phil Taylor, Jordan Cameron & Josh Gordon. 

[Dooley King]

I would much rather rent steve smith than buy edelman. right player right price

[stixfix69]

the 120 mil is not myth when next year his cap number is 25 mil, so your myth is a reality, and because it was spread out that way, his cap number was low, and yes, going into FA last year, we struggled to have 5 mil to spend after the tenders...

[Alaska Alaska!]

Smith is a hot head, and to describe him as a team leader is somewhat of a joke, team leaders to blow up, and throw teammates, and management under the bus....Boldin lead by example, without being a locker room distraction...If he can behave fine, but when he doesn't get his way, then we will see how it pans out....

 

Well... according to the press conferences, it appears that one of the things that Harbs emphasized to Smith was for him to "be himself". I'd imagine that the FO is aware of Smith's "boisterous" character.  Harbs is probably the last person who would willingly in someone who will wreck havoc in the locker room and dismantle team organization.  If the FO can accept Smith's character, then I have no worries either. 

[Ravens07]

Look at how much we paid Matt Birk and look at Alex Mack's price tag. He will demand around $9-10 million. That's not how we operate. We only sign our own to big contracts. We can find hidden gems.

[rmcjacket23]

The Browns are going through their cap stash, with all the signings they have done, and center is not a high priced position that would break a team, so if we throw a contract big enough where the Browns feel they would rather have the draft pick, then it's very possible, that is why you don't see teams going after franchised players because of what they have to give up...so yep, very doable..

1. The Browns get no draft pick competition by not matching any offer, so that logic doesn't work.

2. The Browns have already acknowledged that they are willing to pay Mack over $10m this season to be a member of their team. How do we know this? Because its the cost of the transition tag that they applied to him. Therefore, realistically, the minimum amount of guaranteed compensation that the Ravens would have to give Mack to get him to even discuss an agreement would be $10m. That alone is a gigantic amount of guaranteed compensation to give to any center, regardless of how good they are.

3. The Browns have over $35m in cap space currently. The Ravens have about $15m at most.

So again, and again, just provide example. Stop saying "well there are ways", when you've yet to provide a way.

I'm simply baffled by how many people are obsessed with this. The picture has been painted pretty clear for you. I don't understand what you guys don't understand.

[stixfix69]

Be more concerned about paying players to keep Flacco off his butt, so he can allow routes to develop to throw to our WR's....Doesn't take a genius to figure out our pass blocking, run blocking, and screen blocking was horrible, and Flacco almost got killed with all the hits let alone the 48 sacks....O-LINE IS THE PRIORITY

[stixfix69]

WHAT??? Browns get a first rounder if a franchise player is signed away......

[stixfix69]

you need to do the math, they aren't going to spend their 30 mil in cap space this year on him, it's about a long term deal that he wants....and if they wanted him that bad, they would have offered him that so-called 10 mil per year for 4 to 5 years...

[rmcjacket23]

the 120 mil is not myth when next year his cap number is 25 mil, so your myth is a reality, and because it was spread out that way, his cap number was low, and yes, going into FA last year, we struggled to have 5 mil to spend after the tenders...

Are you familiar with the concept of guaranteed money? Do you understand what that means? It means that every dime of a contract that is non-guaranteed is written in pencil. Therefore, at any given time that a team chooses, they can simply erase it.

The REAL number of money that Flacco is guaranteed is $52m. That would be less than half of the phantom $120m that people pretend like is real. He won't be saying anywhere near $100m on his current contract.

And the REAL cap number for Joe Flacco in 2015 is $14.55m... a far cry from the $25m phantom number that you literally just made up.

[rmcjacket23]

WHAT??? Browns get a first rounder if a franchise player is signed away......

Except he's not a franchise player... he's a transition player. There is a difference.

[stixfix69]

And...even if we don't get Mack, we better get someone to play center, but if Mack is on the market, you don't look the other way, which we haven;t as Oz has already been in contact with his agent....

[rmcjacket23]

you need to do the math, they aren't going to spend their 30 mil in cap space this year on him, it's about a long term deal that he wants....and if they wanted him that bad, they would have offered him that so-called 10 mil per year for 4 to 5 years...

They already spent $10m on him... the $30m in cap space they have already includes his $10m guaranteed salary for 2014. So even if the Ravens offered him $15m for this season (which nobody will), then it only costs the Browns $5m more to keep him, and they would STILL have $25m in cap space.

I don't know how many more ways I have to spell out that he's not going to be a Raven. If you want to continue living the fantasy, be my guest. But reality will set in eventually.

[Ravens07]

WHAT??? Browns get a first rounder if a franchise player is signed away......

 

You are wrong. If the Browns fail to match, they get no compensation. Nevertheless, Ozzie isn't going to pay $10 million for a center. Get over it.

[rmcjacket23]

And...even if we don't get Mack, we better get someone to play center, but if Mack is on the market, you don't look the other way, which we haven;t as Oz has already been in contact with his agent....

As has every other GM of every other team.

I have no doubt we were in contact with Revis' agent too, but that doesn't mean we had a realistic shot of acquiring him.

We very well may get somebody else to play center, but its not going to be Alex Mack. We don't need him.

[Ravensray527]

Great signing but I still think the Ravens should add a young WR. I think the biggest 2 steals of FA could be Danario Alexander (He's 25 has great raw ability and is fast and big bodied) or Brandon Lloyd (This guy is clearly past his prime but his last season with the Pats two years ago was still decent enough to be on an NFL team. Both of these guy would most likely sign low cap costing deals especially Danario.

[stixfix69]

true on the transition tag, but Oz wouldn't contact his agent ,if he felt he had no chance of making a play for him...