THURSDAY, 3:11pm: The new contract agreed to by Zuttah and the Ravens as part of the trade is a five-year deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
SUNDAY, 3:56pm: The Ravens will send a 2015 fifth-round pick to the Bucs, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
2:58pm: The team has officially announced the transaction on its website, with Ravens.com Garrett Downing writer opining that Zuttah could play either left guard or center.
2:47pm: The Ravens have acquired center Jeremy Zuttah from the Buccaneers in exchange for a 2015 mid-round draft pick, tweets Paul Schrager of FoxSports.com. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun was the first to report the rumors of the trade. Zuttah will get a new long-term contract that will alleviate the Ravens salary cap situation, reports Wilson (via Twitter). The Bucs will save $4.5MM in both cap space and cash, tweets Brian McIntyre.
Zuttah, 26, was a third-round-pick of the Bucs in the 2008 draft. He has started 46 games over the past three seasons, but became expendable when Tampa signed fellow center Evan Dietrich-Smith. In 2013, Zuttah graded out as just the 22nd-best center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
However, that grade would be an improvement on the Ravens’ incumbent center, Gino Gradkowski, whom PFF rated as the worst center in football. Zuttah will add to a Baltimore offensive line that includes the recently re-signed Eugene Monroe and All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda.