Baltimore Ravens' assistant general manager Eric DeCosta spoke today to Pro Football Talk, saying that the organization has no plans to part ways with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco. Questions regarding Flacco's long-term future arose with an extension needed, and Baltimore being a fiscally conservative team not known for offering large contracts to veterans.
Ravens have ‘no intentions’ of losing Joe Flacco
The Baltimore Ravens plan on trying to work out a long-term deal with quarterback Joe Flacco, according to Eric DeCosta.
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James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Shortly following the Ravens' victory in Super Bowl XLVII, Flacco's role in Balimore came to light. With middle linebacker Ray Lewis announcing his retirement, and veteran safety Ed Reed's future also being in question, doubts arose whether Baltimore would meet the near-$20 million per-season demand the quarterback's camp was looking for, given the team was heading towards retooling.
While DeCosta said that the organization have no intentions of letting Flacco leave, he also acknowledged that the sides haven’t reached terms on an agreement yet.
“I know that his agent, Joe Linta, and our cap guy, Pat Moriarity, will have some discussions in the next few days, over the next week, and hopefully we can get some things ironed out and at that point we can kind of move forward with what are plans are going to be if we can’t get a deal done.”
If the sides are unable to reach an agreement, the Ravens would likely seek a trade for the veteran QB. A combination of numerous needy teams, paired with a perceived lack of quarterback talent in the draft would make Flacco a hot commodity in the market. A variety of teams would be willing to offer the money Flacco’s camp is seeking, and where the Ravens may not be willing.
Baltimore’s only option to ensure Flacco stays without a long-term commitment would be through using the exclusive rights franchise tag -- a one-year move that would be extremely expensive. The other option would be to risk a non-exclusive tag, which would allow Flacco to sign offer sheets with other teams. If the Ravens lost him though these means, the price to a team would be two first-round picks. A steep cost, but worthy for a team in dire need.
The most probable scenario is that both sides reach an agreement; however, there is a lot of negotiating to be done in order to ensure Flacco is paid, while the Ravens don’t mortgage their future.
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