Does Ray Lewis Want To Be A Free Agent?

[The Fanatic]

Not quite sure how to take this, or what he's saying Here (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens30nov30,0,5263835.story?page=1)

Somewhat sounds to me like a guy that's trying to tell the FO something here.


"If the season ends and I'm a totally free agent, for the first time in my life I will be totally free," he said. "You know what that feels like for a man? It's one thing to deal with a contract. It's one thing to deal with life without a contract. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel to make my own decision."

Clearly the dude is more to what goes on here then what you see on the field.
That bit about Suggs, and Ray getting guys to monitor him was unbelievable.

That kind of thing shouldn't have to happen to begin with, but it is what it is.

Hopefully when the time comes for Ray to leave somebody steps up and takes his leadership role.

[HoustonRaven]

In the context of the article (which surprisingly good, given the paper it came from), I am not worried one second.

Bisciotti has said numerous time Ray will retire a Raven. Ray has said he wants to retire a Raven. It will happen. What you're quoting here is nothing more then business semantics.

[UKRavenStockers]

Strictly speaking Ray can leave this off-season and still retire a Raven. "Retiring a Raven" is semantics as much as Ray's quote is business semantics. If he wants to retire a Raven he can simply sign a ceremonial one day contract that are becoming more common these days. I'm not saying it'll happen, but the insistence that Ray will retire a Raven doesn't necessarily mean he's a lock to stay this off-season. I think he will, but it's not locked down.

[purplepoe]

When you take all the BS away, it comes down to money.

Ray wants a whole lot of it and while he is deserving of a nice deal, they cannot break the bank for him.

He's having an outstanding year and has toed the company line with Harbaugh and all the new things that come along with a new staff.

He certainly has a good deal of leverage and he knows it. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

PP

[festivus]

"To whoever is listening, including the Ravens. I'm not going to give myself away cheap. Love, Ray."

End of story.

[xmradiodave]

"To whoever is listening, including the Ravens. I'm not going to give myself away cheap. Love, Ray."

End of story.

.............:iagree:

That about sums it up.

[middleriverterp]

In the end, it is just business. Hopefully the Ravens and Ray come to an agreement that keeps him in purple, but if he falls out of the price range established by the FO I think he may spend his last years somewhere else. I don't want to see this, but they can't bankrupt the team over sentimentality. I say this as I wear my purple 52 in prep for today's game.

[xmradiodave]

I was thinking the same thing MRT. As much as I would love to see him a Raven for his entire career, at what point do you have to cut ties? What is a reasonable price tag?

[StingerNLG]

Well, if you believe Steve Bisciotti the Ravens will spend whatever it takes to keep Ray Lewis a Raven.

The question is, will the Ravens sacrifice other key needs just to keep Ray Lewis.

And for that matter, is money so important to Ray Lewis that he would be ok with the FO not having cap room to sign another player need like WR or CB simply because he wants his next big payday?

In a matter of a couple of months, we are going to see what Ray Lewis's heart really looks like. This much I think we can all agree with.

[4G63]

Well, if you believe Steve Bisciotti the Ravens will spend whatever it takes to keep Ray Lewis a Raven.

The question is, will the Ravens sacrifice other key needs just to keep Ray Lewis.

And for that matter, is money so important to Ray Lewis that he would be ok with the FO not having cap room to sign another player need like WR or CB simply because he wants his next big payday?

In a matter of a couple of months, we are going to see what Ray Lewis's heart really looks like. This much I think we can all agree with.

:iagree:

Is he really hurting for money? http://forums.evolutionm.net/images/smilies/dunno.gif

He really has his choice when he leaves football. He could be a linebackers coach/def. assistant with the Ravens or go back to U of Miami as a defensive coach or maybe even go into the analyst position with ESPN or CBS. (I'm obviously guessing here, so don't kill me!) I personally think he'll stay in football one way or another, but I can't believe he'd want to cripple this team's future by going after a huge contract?

[Purpleguy]

Ray is a great player and a nice field general, but just like most athletes it is going to come down to money. This team has been very good to Ray over the years, but when it comes down to contract talks I don't think ray will take that loyalty into consideration. I have no doubt that the Ravens will offer him a very fair deal, but if someone else comes up with an extra million and we don't match it, then you can look for Ray to leave.

Ray is part of the present and the past, but this team really needs to look towards the future. I think our defense will still be top 10 without Ray. We now have a young QB that is showing a lot of promise. We need to get him a big target at WR. We also are going to need a CB. The FO cannot criple their ability to pick up those pieces just to keep Ray around for 2 or 3 more years.

[3RDRowRaven]

Is he really hurting for money?

I was thinking along the same lines about this as well.

Is Ray really hurting for money??
Is he looking for a 70 - 80 milllion dollar contract?
Don't give me that it's a business bullshit because I don't wanna hear it.

Ray knows himself that he can make alot of money not even playing football.
Just like 4G63 said he can work for ESPN, CBS or whatever....

Does he really want to hurt the team by asking millions of millions of dollars.
Does he wanna keep this defense together for next year and not asks as much $$$???

Does he wanna retire a Raven, does he really feel that in his heart for Baltimore that it's the right thing to do??

[ravenfever_com]

I would only hope that Ray would take a sweet deal that pays him fair money for 5 years, then includes a huge bonus after he is done to stay as a coach. They can pay him anything they want as a coach and that would not fall under the cap.

[Rxdoxx]

Ray is a great player and a nice field general, but just like most athletes it is going to come down to money. This team has been very good to Ray over the years, but when it comes down to contract talks I don't think ray will take that loyalty into consideration. I have no doubt that the Ravens will offer him a very fair deal, but if someone else comes up with an extra million and we don't match it, then you can look for Ray to leave.


:iagree: With one small modification, I think the extra million would have to be in bonus money.
Ray has been around long enough to know he is one play away from retirement. I'm sure he has seen the film of Theisman/LT, Kevin Everett, Byrd... Bonus is the only guarentee of his last big payday, so it may be workable depending on what he is looking for up-front or offered by others.
I think that if he gets a 5 yr deal and the last year is 7 mil base, that he won't be here to see it, and he knows that. I really believe it is going to come down to what is guarenteed and not length or total size.

[RustonRifle]

I'd like to see Ray retire a Raven but I'd only be in favor of the Ravens committing the huge money it will probably take to sign him if a large portion of the dollars were in annual roster bonuses.

[Bez513]

I was thinking along the same lines about this as well.

Is Ray really hurting for money??
Is he looking for a 70 - 80 milllion dollar contract?
Don't give me that it's a business bullshit because I don't wanna hear it.

Ray knows himself that he can make alot of money not even playing football.
Just like 4G63 said he can work for ESPN, CBS or whatever....

Does he really want to hurt the team by asking millions of millions of dollars.
Does he wanna keep this defense together for next year and not asks as much $$$???

Does he wanna retire a Raven, does he really feel that in his heart for Baltimore that it's the right thing to do??

Agreed. If Ray is a man of character that he proclaims he is and people believe he is then commitment to this team and city will play in the decision. He has enough money for the rest of his life so looking to break the bank doesn't seem to be what he is about. Steve B. will give him an honest offer and hopefully it will be enough...and he knows that Ray alone isn't the team and we cannot afford to overpay.

[crazyraven]

I think our defense will still be top 10 without Ray.

I don't!

Ray plays better than any LB in the league today. Ray gets the defense ready better than any coach ever will. I see the defense dropping significantly if he is to leave the team, which i hope never happens.

...and when he becomes a free agent The Ravens need to make every effort to pay him whatever he asks for. The Future is now and he is a big part of it.

SB said he will take care of him and let him retire a raven, so I'm happy to know that he will do everything to keep him here-- Which I expect him to do.

As for those who want to see him take a little less for the team, Ray continues to shine year after year. Why the F should he ask for a pay cut?

[Losac]

Whatever happened to that report that a deal was done in principle and they were just waiting to announce it?

[camdenyard]

SB said he will take care of him and let him retire a raven, so I'm happy to know that he will do everything to keep him here-- Which I expect him to do.

I trust SB will do everything within reason to keep Ray here.

Within reason is the key point.

As many of us keep saying, we have this damn salary cap to meet. It's not optional. And the Ravens have a lot of solid players to pay. If Ray wants to stay here I am all for it, but not at the expense of gutting the team and letting guys like Jason Brown walk.

[PurpleRulz]

"To whoever is listening, including the Ravens. I'm not going to give myself away cheap. Love, Ray."

End of story.

And he shouldn't. He is going to get his money from us. I have a feeling that he gets $20M guaranteed.

[RAVENOUS52]

Ray Lewis is not going anywhere.

This is his town and he is by far the BEST field general I've ever seen on defense in the NFL. If he leaves, we're up shit creek for a couple of years, I promise you. No player on this team, or in the League, possesses his unique combination of mental and physical talents.

He deserves every penny he gets and then some.

But at the same time let's not forget his main reason for playing football and, Hell, for living and breathing: Winning another Lombardi Trophy.

With the emergence of Joe Flacco and our offense finally coming around, the one thing Ray has waited for his entire career is finally here.

If you really think he'd throw all that away to go somewhere else for a little more cash, or at the risk of depriving the team of the talent it needs to win, then you haven't been following the man's career very long. He's a student and historian of the game who knows how much greater his legacy/marketability will be as a MULTIPLE-time SuperBowl champion with the same team...:thumbup:

SB will definitely "Get R Done" IMHO...:happyanim

[Losac]

Ray Lewis is not going anywhere.

This is his town and he is by far the BEST field general I've ever seen on defense in the NFL. If he leaves, we're up shit creek for a couple of years, I promise you. No player on this team, or in the League, possesses his unique combination of mental and physical talents.

He deserves every penny he gets and then some.

But at the same time let's not forget his main reason for playing football and, Hell, for living and breathing: Winning another Lombardi Trophy.

With the emergence of Joe Flacco and our offense finally coming around, the one thing Ray has waited for his entire career is finally here.

If you really think he'd throw all that away to go somewhere else for a little more cash, or at the risk of depriving the team of the talent it needs to win, then you haven't been following the man's career very long. He's a student and historian of the game who knows how much greater his legacy/marketability will be as a MULTIPLE-time SuperBowl champion with the same team...:thumbup:

SB will definitely "Get R Done" IMHO...:happyanim

So you'd be ok if SB gave Ray a cap-crippling deal that limits our ability to re-sign players like Suggs and Jason Brown and also bring in a top wide receiver for Flacco?

[RAVENOUS52]

So you'd be ok if SB gave Ray a cap-crippling deal that limits our ability to re-sign players like Suggs and Jason Brown and also bring in a top wide receiver for Flacco?

Well I was gonna get started (albeit late) on Heroes and Goats for this week, but I guess I'll wait until after lunch and respond with:


Originally posted by RAVENOUS52: If you really think he'd throw all that away to go somewhere else for a little more cash, or at the risk of depriving the team of the talent it needs to win, then you haven't been following the man's career very long.

Don't make me put you on the Goats list with Yamon Figurs, dude...:D

[crazyraven]

Look I love Jason Brown just as much as the next guy but how in the hell do you put him ahead of Ray-Ray? Maybe Jason Brown is depriving the team of needed talent and scaring the fan base into thinking we can't cope without him. Lets be honest Ray is the only MF'er who has earned his money and noteriaty for the Ravens. Maybe Jason should take less and let Ray, the glue to this team, get another pay day. Once Ray gets his money everything else will fall into place, just like it always has.

[Losac]

Don't make me put you on the Goats list with Yamon Figurs, dude...:D

As long as Harbs isn't on there again. :banana: :D I keed, I keed.


Look I love Jason Brown just as much as the next guy but how in the hell do you put him ahead of Ray-Ray? Maybe Jason Brown is depriving the team of needed talent and scaring the fan base into thinking we can't cope without him. Lets be honest Ray is the only MF'er who has earned his money and noteriaty for the Ravens. Maybe Jason should take less and let Ray, the glue to this team, get another pay day. Once Ray gets his money everything else will fall into place, just like it always has.

Ray isn't the only one on the team who gets paid. You have 53 men out there, and believe it or not, you do need a good offensive line too. I didn't say Jason Brown was ahead of Ray, but if Ray would demand a contract that would limit the team's ability to keep a good developing young O-line group together or even re-sign some of the other budding stars like Ngata then in my opinion that makes the team worse off.