By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the
Baltimore Ravens will take one of three courses of action with defensive tackle
Haloti Ngata:
- Sign him to an extension
- Release him
- Do nothing and begin to play hardball with the five-time Pro Bowl player
NgataThe Ravens made that last option a viable one after they restructured the contract of linebacker
Terrell Suggs, who coincidentally is a good friend of Ngata. The team doesn't need to release Ngata to get under the cap because Suggs freed up $2.25 million in cap space.
Ravens officials can choose to continue negotiations on an extension for the next couple of weeks while Ngata watches teams spend most of their cap space on other players, which could reduce his payday whenever he reaches free agency. If the Ravens are looking for leverage, this might be the best play they have.
The expectation is Ngata will get paid handsomely if he hits the open market this week based on the rising value of top defensive tackles. Ndamunkong Suh agreed to a six-year, $114 contract (including $60 million guaranteed) with Miami last weekend, and
Gerald McCoy re-signed last October with Tampa Bay for $95.2 million over six years ($51 million guaranteed).
The cap-strapped Ravens probably can't match any of the deals that Ngata would get in free agency this week, but they can control when he gets there. Perhaps they can sell him on the notion that he will get paid more in an extension with the Ravens than he would if he hit the open market at the end of the month.
It's a potential stalemate where the Ravens want Ngata and Ngata wants his last big payday. This stiff-arm approach isn't a typical one for the Ravens, but they also don't like to restructure contracts (three in the past four years), and you saw what they did with Suggs.
Standing pat with Ngata would come at a cost for a team that currently has $1.5 million in cap room. Though there are other smaller cost-cutting moves the Ravens can make, they won't be active in free agency with Ngata's $16 million cap figure on the books. So, re-signing running back
Justin Forsett and tight end
Owen Daniels, or pursing the likes of wide receiver
Andre Johnson will be put on hold if they do nothing with Ngata.
It's difficult to believe that the Ravens will carry Ngata's $16 million cap figure all year. This team doesn't need to make a ton of moves in free agency, but the Ravens can't afford to sit out free agency with the holes at wide receiver, tight end and running back.
The Ravens have an important decision to make with Ngata on Tuesday, and whatever action they choose will indicate how they plan to handle free agency and one of the best players in franchise history.
Torrey Smith is no huge loss, he never really became a #1 receiver only a deep threat. I'd like to see Marlon Brown and Aiken get more reps, plus Ozzie always finds a hungry wr vet with something left to prove. They better get that secondary right cuz it doesn't matter who Flacco throws the ball to if the defense can't stop the opposing QB.
