[News] Report: Dennis Pitta Plans To Return In 2016

[BR News]

The 30-year-old tight end did not play at all last year as he continued to rehab from two serious hip injuries.

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[Space11jams]

i hope he's fully healed and able to play......pitta is a very very very good TE and could have been to multiple pro bowls.

[fluffy201]

I'm not sure I see it happening. Especially with Gilmore, Maxx, Watson and Boyle. And I'm not sold on the Ravens cutting Boyle. He seemed to have more production than Maxxy our second round pick.

[stixfix69]

He can best help the team by retiring so we won't be on the hook for the rest of the contract he signed.....As long as he is technically on the team we have to keep paying the money, and cutting him leaves us dead money, retiring would help the team most.....We have solid young TE, with the addition of Watson, its just time to move on,...Love Pitta, but its time to let the young ones who have shown they can handle the position and shown the potential to be very good TE....

[balfan23]

He can best help the team by retiring so we won't be on the hook for the rest of the contract he signed.....As long as he is technically on the team we have to keep paying the money, and cutting him leaves us dead money, retiring would help the team most.....We have solid young TE, with the addition of Watson, its just time to move on,...Love Pitta, but its time to let the young ones who have shown they can handle the position and shown the potential to be very good TE....

Retirement = cut in terms of cap impact (dead money, etc). He will not be doing the team any favors by retiring. If the Ravens don't want him, they cut him.

[Bohica5]

I am sure he thinks he's healed(in his head) but bottom line is he's just sucking up our cap space and there will be no payoff for us......Hopefully we cut him(we have way better te's now) and maybe the browns pick him up or he can play in the CFL .....Didn't think he was the greedy type but money is the root of all evil.......Cut him!!

[stixfix69]

what would be the dead money on his deal, as cutting him we would still be on the hook for his dead money....If he retires we are can seek cap relief....

[757RavensFan]

8 minutes ago, Bohica5 said:

I am sure he thinks he's healed(in his head) but bottom line is he's just sucking up our cap space and there will be no payoff for us......Hopefully we cut him(we have way better te's now) and maybe the browns pick him up or he can play in the CFL .....Didn't think he was the greedy type but money is the root of all evil.......Cut him!!

I highly doubt money is his motivation.  I'm thinking he would like to actually retire from the game under his own circumstances and not due to an injury. 

Same reason Steve Smith decided to come back. 

 

That aside, football is a business and it would be best to move on from Pitta.  So I agree with you that he should be cut. 

[budman]

Hey Mcjacket! If Pitta was let go post June 1st, what would be the cap relief and dead money be??

[757RavensFan]

3 minutes ago, budman said:

Hey Mcjacket! If Pitta was let go post June 1st, what would be the cap relief and dead money be??

I'm not McJacket, but here you go.  Select the pre/post option to see the difference in dead money and cap savings. 

http://overthecap.com/player/dennis-pitta/1373/

If they were to cut him it would benefit to do it after June 1st. 

[The Greek]

feed him burgers and pasta until training camp to beef him up than convert him to LT. another recycled article. cannot wait until the draft

[budman]

Just now, 757RavensFan said:

I'm not McJacket, but here you go.  Select the pre/post option to see the difference in dead money and cap savings.

http://overthecap.com/player/dennis-pitta/1373/

If they were to cut him it would benefit to do it after June 1st.

Thanks!! Very helpful. Only a hit of 2.2 mil in dead money after June 1st, but a cap savings of 5 mil. I don't think there is any hard decision here. Unless there is a team that would give us a draft pick which I doubt.

[stixfix69]

The advantage of his retirement would be based on the type of signing bonus he signed, as teams off-set a chunk of the contract into bonus money spread over the contract, and that is what teams can try to recoup, for cap relieve....For instance Wallace deal called for a nice signing bonus with a low cap salary, and if he were to retire we could recoup that money for cap relief, atleast that us how i read it...

[stixfix69]

wait.....Pitta just agreed to restructure his contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ellicottraven]

I'm disappointed in Pitta's decision to come back from 2 major hip surgeries. As a fan, I'm concerned that Pitta is putting the Ravens in a precarious position and himself in one as well. By attempting to mount a come back which could very likely end up disastrous, he's putting himself at risk physically but also putting the Ravens at risk financially.

So, I won't be shocked regardless of his intentions if the Ravens decide to cut him post June 1st. I don't know which other team is going to risk signing him to a deal other than at veteran's minimum.

Now, if Pitta is willing to restructure his contract to play for the Ravens, we know he's seriously contemplating a return for reasons other than monetary gain. If he doesn't he's only doing it for money and that's not fair to the Ravens who've basically paid him several million dollars to have him grace the facilities with his presence and not much else.

[757RavensFan]

3 minutes ago, stixfix69 said:

wait.....Pitta just agreed to restructure his contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Should be a 1 year no more than $2M dollar contract. If that.  

[usmccharles]

as much as i like Pitta and as vital he was in our SB run, he needs to be cut, at that money there is no reason to have him here...

[stixfix69]

  7 minutes ago, stixfix69 said:

wait.....Pitta just agreed to restructure his contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Should be a 1 year no more than $2M dollar contract. If that.  

would give us some more cap space either way....

[stixfix69]

1 mil base with incentives to reach 3 mil....Thats what i wouldn't mind...and maybe non guaranteed...

Edited April 12, 2016 by stixfix69

[jdynamite]

I'm really confused by this bit of news. I assumed with the team loading up at TE Pitta being cut or retiring was all but a foregone conclusion.   

Who knows what he's capable of after 2 hip surgeries, I doubt there will be any trade interest.  

 

So the only question I have is would there be any difference cap-wise to the team retiring vs cutting him? 

[The Greek]

if he can play it wouldnt hurt especially with boyle out for 10 games. now that he has reportedly restructured his pay for this season than why not see what happens

[stixfix69]

I'm really confused by this bit of news. I assumed with the team loading up at TE Pitta being cut or retiring was all but a foregone conclusion.   

Who knows what he's capable of after 2 hip surgeries, I doubt there will be any trade interest.  

 

So the only question I have is would there be any difference cap-wise to the team retiring vs cutting him? 

not sure how it all pans out, but from my understanding he ha 6.6 mil in signing bonuses dues over the next 3 years which we can recoup, and get some cap relief for...

[stixfix69]

Current deal.... so if he retired in 2017 and 2018 the money saved would more than cover the Dead money

2016 Contract details by year 30

Salary Signing Bonus Cap Hit Dead Money
$5,000,000 $2,200,000 - $7,200,000 $6,600,000
2017 Contract details by year 31
$5,500,000 $2,200,000 - $7,700,000 $4,400,000
2018 Contract details by year 32
$5,500,000 $2,200,000 - $7,700,000 $2,200,00

[steelcityraven]

Pitta will be a June 1st cut... we will bring him back into camp (with nothing to lose) but wow our TE position will be stacked! (Watson, Gilmore, Maxx, Waller, Boyle and Pitta)... Boyle will miss at least 10 games but that should also mean that a pretty good TE is going to be cut!

[stixfix69]

Pitta will be a June 1st cut... we will bring him back into camp (with nothing to lose) but wow our TE position will be stacked! (Watson, Gilmore, Maxx, Waller, Boyle and Pitta)... Boyle will miss at least 10 games but that should also mean that a pretty good TE is going to be cut!

The are restructuring his contract.Just hope it's a incentive laden deal...

[steelcityraven]

Pitta is a great example of why all contracts should have some guaranteed money and at the same time all contracts should be 50-60% built on incentives or performance based earnings. If contracts were more about merit... Pitta would have still made great money but his contract wouldn't have been so damaging to the team over the past two season (plus if we look forward).

[stixfix69]

Contracts are like the draft it's a gamble....

[ALPHA]

Pitta was a great player but he is finished, but I can't fault him for collecting his last paycheck.

[eze17]

If he's restructured his contract, and can prove he can still be productive, I say give the man a shot...if the team decides he's not up to par, they can cut him after June 1st. I don't see the downside of having him participate in the offseason work-outs.

[dirtybird66]

i hope for his and our's,that he comes back full force,him and FLACCO have such a good repore on and off the field and he's a good safety blanket for FLACCO.