73 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

Right now I think my expectation might be no. I can see him franchised again after next year. After two more seasons, the Ravens might not want to extend at any price.

[bnickle]

I think Rice wants to be here and the Ravens want him here "long- term". I think they'll get something worked out this offseason. Something where it is easy to cut or restructure after 3 years. If for some reason they don't get something done this offseason it substantially increases the likelyhood that no long term deal is ever reached.


As a sidenote it will be interesting to see if the Ravens take a RB relatively early in this draft. Drafting a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round would probably lead you to conclude some things about Rice's long-term future.

[DBean]

I can see him re-signing to a long term deal. I'm sure that he's going to know that if he goes somewhere else, there's no guarantee that he will do any better there. I think Bisciotti and Newsome will have no problem working out a deal with Rice long term.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I think Rice wants to be here and the Ravens want him here "long- term". I think they'll get something worked out this offseason. Something where it is easy to cut or restructure after 3 years. If for some reason they don't get something done this offseason it substantially increases the likelyhood that no long term deal is ever reached.


As a sidenote it will be interesting to see if the Ravens take a RB relatively early in this draft. Drafting a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round would probably lead you to conclude some things about Rice's long-term future.

Good post here. It is clear that Rice wants to be here. I'm sure the Ravens would be very comfortable providing a 3 yr deal (or at-least with the ability to restructure at that time). Totally agree that if it does not happen this off-season, that the likelyhood that it never happens increases.

Also have to agree about the draft. If you draft a back that high, it is not about long-term competition for Allen or Berry as the backup.

[bnickle]

Here is the other thing regarding Rice. If he is franchised this year and goes out and puts up another 1500 yards rushing , 15 TDs, 500 receiving yards what do you do next year??? Franchise him again??? Isn't there some new rule regarding franchising a player two years in a row?? Would the price to franchise not go up significantly?? I'm not sure exactly what the deal is there but I know you just can;t afford to keep franchising the guy. At the same time how can you let a 1500, 500, 15 TD guy who is your best offensive weapon just walk. The point I'm trying to make is while signing a RB to a long-term deal is risky it's something you pretty much have to do if you have a top 5 RB. You can make the point that there are a lot of competent Rbs in the league but my question is when was the last time a top 10 RB in his prime was allowed to walk?? AP locked up, Chris Johnson locked up, Stephen Jackson locked up, Jones -Drew locked up, Gore locked up. I mean if it was as easy to replace really good Rbs as some make it seem these teams would be letting more guys walk. I seriously want someone to tell me the last time they remember a consensus top 5, heck lets even say top 10 RB was allowed to walk in free agency. At some point you have to swallow hard and try to get a fair deal done that doesn't lock you in for too many seasons.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Here is the other thing regarding Rice. If he is franchised this year and goes out and puts up another 1500 yards rushing , 15 TDs, 500 receiving yards what do you do next year??? Franchise him again??? Isn't there some new rule regarding franchising a player two years in a row?? Would the price to franchise not go up significantly?? I'm not sure exactly what the deal is there but I know you just can't afford to keep franchising the guy. At the same time how can you let a 1500, 500, 15 TD guy who is your best offensive weapon just walk. The point I'm trying to make is while signing a RB to a longterm deal is risky it's something you pretty much have to do if you have a top 5 RB. You can make the point that there are a lot of competent Rbs in the league but my question is when was the last time a top 10 RB in his prime was allowed to walk?? AP locked up, Chris Johnson locked up, Stephen Jackson locked up, Jones -Drew locked up, GOre locked up. I mean if it was as easy to replace really good Rbs as some make it seem these teams would be letting more guys walk. I seriously want someone to tell me the last time they remember a consensus top 5, heck lets even say top 10 RB was allowed to walk in free agency. At some point you have to swallow hard and try to get a fai deal done that doesn't lock you in for too many seasons.

You are correct about the 2nd year of being franchised being more expensive. If Franchised, the player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position as of a date in April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater.

Bob Haynie and Rob Long had a guest on from CBS Sports today who suggested that Rice should get a contract closer to D'Angelo Williams as opposed to AP.

[iHateJJRedick]

I'm the biggest Ray Rice fan in Baltimore but I don't see the point in giving Ray Rice (or any running back really) a long term deal. Their shelf life is extremely short and they are usually pretty replaceable. I'm sure Rice isnt happy but that 7.7 million should be a nice consolation present.

[MattCLund]

I've said this on the BSR Podcast repeatedly, as much as I love Ray Rice, all you have to do is look at Adrian Peterson to know that long-term deals scare me with RB's.

I also think that Ray Rice will get the franchise tag next season as well and then we'll see what the Ravens do from there.

As Phil mentioned, RB's are replaceable, how close to a replacement can you find for a Ray Rice though? I don't know, but it can be done... as much as I love having Rice in the backfield for us.

[SportsGuy]

I am against a long term deal unless it is a very team friendly contract.

Great player, great back, very important to the team...All of that is true...will it be true in 3 years?

[Brobey]

I am against a long term deal unless it is a very team friendly contract.

Great player, great back, very important to the team...All of that is true...will it be true in 3 years?

When was the last time a long term contract to a RB was beneficial to a team? Probably Frank Gore's contract and just because he got far less than he should have because of injury concerns. Just look at the 2 contracts last year (CJ & AP) - at this point, both teams have to be very worried about the $$ tied up at the RB position.

[ravens8589]

Joe Flacco will get the priority for durability reasons but Rice will get his deal for no more than 4 years. He deserves it and seems to be very different than most runningbacks in his style of play so injury concerns, while they are still there, are lower in my opinion even though this is the league of unpredictability. Flacco will get his deal in the 13 million a year range (in my opinion it is warranted) and Rice will get Chris Johnson money. Ozzie takes care of his players and this will get done. Dont disrespect this player with the idea of back to back tagged years. He deserves his deal and he will get it. A 4 year deal is as low of a commitment as you can get in a 2nd contract so give him that.

[SportsGuy]

Arian Foster signed for 5 years today...not sure of amount yet.

M Lynch got 18M guaranteed and a 4/31 deal...that is the type of deal I would have wanted to give Rice, if I even extended him.

Obviously, he would want and get more than that since he is better than Lynch.

[SportsGuy]

Jason La Canfora‏
@Arian Foster joins AP and CJ atop RB $$ ranks. $43.5M over 5 years, $20.75M guar, $30m in 1st 3 years of deal, $18M in 2012. #insideslant

Sounds relatively team friendly.

[Brobey]

Jason La Canfora‏
@Arian Foster joins AP and CJ atop RB $$ ranks. $43.5M over 5 years, $20.75M guar, $30m in 1st 3 years of deal, $18M in 2012. #insideslant

Sounds relatively team friendly.

You offer Rice the same exact deal that Foster got...if he declines, you tell him no more contract discussions, draft a RB this year, franchise him again next year, and then show him the door...

[Don Olsen]

In a position that is built around youthful fresh legs, it is just a position that is primed for high dollar players.

Saying this, Ray Rice has a skill set that is not rivaled by many types in the league. If they feel that he still has a good 4/5 season in him at a high level, they should try and broker a long term contract. He may fetch a higher total dollar than Foster, but the 30 million in the first three years should be a nice starting point.

If he goes for broke trying to reach Johnson or Petersen money, I just do not see a sound organization meeting those needs on a slim budget that has to address other crucial positions in the short and long term.

If there is one thing the Ravens do better than most teams, they can clearly evaluate their players upon entering free agency.

If they stick with the tag, it might be wise to have another draft pick battle Allen and/or Berry for the backup role. In today's NFL the running back is just not a long term commodity and if they go in another direction, it is just the nature of the beast in the salary cap era.

[Mackus]

Is there any guess at what the franchise tender will be next year for RBs? Especially now that Foster and Lynch have signed deals which may impact the top-5?

If it's in the $9.25M range, (up from this year's $7.7M) then that would mean we would have to pay Rice ~$11.25M in 2013 if we franchise him twice in a row. I don't think a 2/$19M deal for Rice is that bad of an option for the team, especially given that the second year wouldn't have to be guaranteed. Of course all of that deal would count against the cap, but if it goes up next year like expected, maybe that's less of a concern.

Unless Rice signs for right about what Foster got, I don't see a long-term deal that is a better option for the team than franchising him two consecutive years. I'd rather give the long-term deals to Flacco and Webb and maybe even Grubbs if we can fit him in. It sucks because Ray is such a good guy and so fun to root for, but I think he's gonna get the short end of the stick in terms of long-term guaranteed money. On the other hand, if he stays healthy and effective, he'll probably make more this way than he would with a long-term deal.

[Don Olsen]

Tag Payment Rules: Non-Exclusive Rights

1. The average of the top five salaries of last season at his position.

2. 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, which is what happens most times that a player is tagged.

If the tag remains and they planned to tag him next season, he would have a tag set to $9.24M or the average of the top five salaries, whichever is greater.

[SportsGuy]

http://espn.go.com/n... ... -extension

McCoy gets his big extension.

[Brobey]

Have to believe that sets the floor for a deal that Rice and his agent will be looking to get...

[SportsGuy]

Have to believe that sets the floor for a deal that Rice and his agent will be looking to get...

Yep...and I am not sure I would say Rice is better than McCoy either.