Joe Flacco should be highest-paid NFL QB, agent says

[kcharles520]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...fl-quarterback

apparently flacco and his agent are hell-bent on bankrupting the baltimore ravens and destroying their chances of re-signing just about anyone BESIDES flacco to long term contracts.

i'm sorry but joe is way over his head here. yea, he played well this season, yea he's a solid qb, but to be the highest paid qb in the league? ridiculous. the guy acts like he won the super bowl all by himself...

if i were the ravens owner i'd tell him to get out and sign matt flynn or something for 10% of what flacco's asking for...lol. who cares if he won a super bowl, that was a total team effort, not just one player.

[CM Hooe]

On the other hand, Flacco and his agent have all the leverage here. He's the presumptive on-field leader of the Ravens with Ray Lewis retiring and the pending free agency of Ed Reed, he's the best quarterback in the history of the franchise, he just had probably the best season of his career statistically, he just won Super Bowl MVP, and out of all the active quarterbacks with a Super Bowl ring he's the youngest.

Baltimore is also in a position where they can't afford to let Flacco go. The only option they have behind him is former Virginia Tech Hokies' quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is completely unproven at the NFL level. They also have the history of their franchise to look back upon; they let go of Trent Dilfer after winning a Super Bowl and promptly had a QB carousel that wasn't stabilized until Steve McNair was brought in as a stop-gap.

The Ravens have to re-sign Flacco, and it's going to cost them at least $20 Million a year to do so.

[kcharles520]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

On the other hand, Flacco and his agent have all the leverage here. He's the presumptive on-field leader of the Ravens with Ray Lewis retiring and the pending free agency of Ed Reed, he's the best quarterback in the history of the franchise, he just had probably the best season of his career statistically, he just won Super Bowl MVP, and out of all the active quarterbacks with a Super Bowl ring he's the youngest. Baltimore is also in a position where they can't afford to let Flacco go. The only option they have behind him is former Virginia Tech Hokies' quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is completely unproven at the NFL level. They also have the history of their franchise to look back upon; they let go of Trent Dilfer after winning a Super Bowl and promptly had a QB carousel that wasn't stabilized until Steve McNair was brought in as a stop-gap. The Ravens have to re-sign Flacco, and it's going to cost them at least $20 Million a year to do so.

i agree that it's crucial for them to re-sign him. i just feel like he's hurting the future of his own team by asking for such a huge sum of money. and if you look at his stats, they're just about the same as his stats the past three years. his completion percentage was actually lower than his rookie season!

he's a very consistent player, but to ask for as much as guys like tom brady and aaron rodgers...he's just not at that sort of level. if he played for the patriots or the packers this year for example, there is NO way he would have won a superbowl. his TEAM is what helped him get to this point...to ask for this much money only hurts the ravens organization as a whole.

yea, he has the leverage to work a top five contract, but it's just luxury money....he could make millions per year and have a GREAT team around him until the day he retires. but if he asks for this mega contract he's going to lose alot of starpower around him. if i were an athlete i'd sign a team-friendly contract EVEN if i had the leverage to ask for way more. as long as you're making millions per year what's the damn difference? if i made what flacco made THIS SEASON alone i could retire tomorrow and never work another day in my life. why, exactly does he need $20 million a year?

flacco should take after a guy like victor cruz. he helped the giants to a super bowl ring LAST year, and you know what he did? played the 2012-13 season on a 750k contract!!!! he could have held out and asked for 5x that money, but you know what, he didn't...now that's the definition of a selfless football player. if anyone should be asking for a bigger contract, it's victor cruz. (though he'll prolly get one this offseason! lol).

[StanleyStutters]

Players don't owe their teams anything. These guys are risking their health, both short-term and long-term, to play in the NFL and if they've played well enough to warrant a $20M+ a year contract, they should get it. Also getting a big contract helps out some of the younger QBs in the NFL. When it's their turn to negotiate they can use his contract in negotiations just like he's using other players' contracts to get himself paid (this will also help any QBs that get franchise tagged).

It's on the organization to build a team that can compete for championships. If they think that kind of money is too much for Flacco they don't have to sign him. But if they view him as a franchise QB who can win them Super Bowls, which is how I think they view him, then he is worth the money. It's the organizations' responsibility to spend their remaining money on quality players to put around him, and there are always ways to work around the cap, especially with long-term deals. I'm sure the Ravens will find a way to sign Flacco and still put a SB contending team on the field next season.

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by kcharles520

flacco should take after a guy like victor cruz. he helped the giants to a super bowl ring LAST year, and you know what he did? played the 2012-13 season on a 750k contract!!!! he could have held out and asked for 5x that money, but you know what, he didn't...now that's the definition of a selfless football player. if anyone should be asking for a bigger contract, it's victor cruz. (though he'll prolly get one this offseason! lol).

I'm sure Flacco's teammates and fellow NFL players will appreciate Flacco taking a pay cut when they have to go renegotiate their own contracts./sarcasm
If the Super Bowl MVP and best QB in the history of a franchise is taking less than he can, what leverage do other players have? You give an NFL team an inch and they'll take a mile.

[Alliball]

Quote: Originally Posted by kcharles520

flacco should take after a guy like victor cruz. he helped the giants to a super bowl ring LAST year, and you know what he did? played the 2012-13 season on a 750k contract!!!! he could have held out and asked for 5x that money, but you know what, he didn't...now that's the definition of a selfless football player. if anyone should be asking for a bigger contract, it's victor cruz. (though he'll prolly get one this offseason! lol).

Not even the same thing.

[jWILL253]

Tough call, here. The Patriots, Giants, & Broncos signed triple-digit contacts with elite QBs, and they aren't doing too bad. Not sure if the Ravens' front office is as competent as they are, though...

[CM Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by jWILL253

Tough call, here. The Patriots, Giants, & Broncos signed triple-digit contacts with elite QBs, and they aren't doing too bad. Not sure if the Ravens' front office is as competent as they are, though...

IMO the Ravens under GM Ozzie Newsome is right up there with the Patriots and the Packers as one of the best front office organizations in the league.