This Date In Transactions History: Ed Reed
In his prime, few players were more fearsome than safety Ed Reed. On this date in 2006, the Ravens rewarded Reed with a six-year, $40MM contract, making him the highest-paid player at his position in league history. 
The previous league-leading deal for safeties belonged to Adam Archuleta, who inked a six-year, $30MM deal with the Redskins in March of ’06. Reed blew past him on a rocket ship, and for good reason.
Reed became a starter as a rookie in 2002 and quickly cemented himself as a key cog in Baltimore’s defense. He notched 21 interceptions in his first three seasons and led the league with nine picks in 2004. Although he was held back by an ankle injury in 2005, the Ravens saw a Reed as a multiple-time Pro Bowler who was ready to get back to his old form.
“It was his time,” GM Ozzie Newsome said. “He has earned the contract.”
Indeed, the Ravens were right. Reed came back in a big way in ’06 as he started in every game and tallied five picks, plus two in the postseason. He earned Pro Bowl nods in every season from 2006 through 2012 and picked up four First-Team All-Pro nods in that span.
Reed earned his first ring in the Super Bowl following the 2012 season and notched his ninth career postseason interception in the big game. Although he was still productive, Reed and the Ravens went their separate ways in the offseason. Reed signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Texans, but that deal was terminated midway through the ’13 campaign. He reunited with Rex Ryan by signing with the Jets, but he was unable to turn back the clock. After sitting out the 2014 season, Reed signed a one-day contract with Baltimore so that he could retire a Raven.
Reed’s final season on the field was forgettable, but the extension he signed with the Ravens in 2006 proved to be a win-win for both sides. Reed cashed in and gained financial security in a violent sport, and the Ravens got elite level production out of him for the majority of the deal.
Ravens' Flacco Entering Pivotal Year
- Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is entering a pivotal season, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. If Lamar Jackson is indeed the future in Baltimore, then Flacco should approach this season as an audition for the rest of the league, in Corry’s opinion. In 2019, the Ravens can save $10.5MM against the cap by releasing Flacco, with $16MM left in dead money. If Flacco can stave him off for another year, he’ll carry a $28.25MM cap number in 2020, though the Ravens could also cut ties to save $20.25MM against just $8MM in dead money.
Latest On DB Brandon Bryant
Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant is making his case to NFL scouts in advance of the NFL’s supplemental draft. On Monday, 40 scouts from the Rams, Browns, Falcons, Jets, Giants, 49ers, Redskins, Colts, Steelers, Saints, Jaguars, Texans, Raiders, and Ravens watched Bryant audition, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com tweets. 
There may have been even more clubs on hand to watch Bryant work out, according to Tony Pauline of Draft Insider (on Twitter). Pauline hears there were “about 20 teams on hand” and he hears his 40-yard-dash times ranged from the high 4.3’s to the low 4.4’s. He also conducted five separate one-on-one meetings on Sunday.
Bryant established himself as one of the top safeties in the SEC in his time with the Bulldogs. Across three years, Bryant compiled 157 tackles and five interceptions in 37 games. This year, after Mississippi State hired Joe Moorhead as their new head coach, Bryant announced he was going pro.
This year’s supplemental draft will take place on July 11. Other entrants include former Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal and Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander.
Chargers Asked Lamar Jackson To Work Out As WR
Before the draft, new Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson refuted reports that multiple teams wanted to him to work out as a wide receiver. Perhaps that was simply because Jackson, who represents himself, wanted to downplay the notion that his quarterback skills will not translate to the professional level, because now that he is officially a first-round pick and is on a team that is committed to his future as a QB, Jackson’s story is a little different.
Jackson said in a recent interview with the Ravens’ official website (video link) that the Chargers were the first team to approach him about running routes during the combine. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner was taken aback by the request, which triggered his decision to not run the 40-yard dash and to rely on his game film instead.
Of course, Jackson may be deployed as a wide receiver on occasion this year. Joe Flacco remains the Ravens’ starter, but Baltimore wants to take advantage of Jackson’s elite athleticism, so the team is designing packages that will put both players on the field at the same time.
This Date In Transactions History: Baltimore Ravens
The 2010 draft didn’t necessarily go as planned for the Ravens. They sent their first-rounder to the Broncos (Denver selected Tim Tebow), and their pair of second-rounders failed to live up to their billing. Linebacker Sergio Kindle played in only three career games, while defensive tackle Terrence Cody mostly played in a reserve role.
The team did manage to snag tight end Ed Dickson in the third round, but nobody would deem the first half of Baltimore’s draft a success. However, the team did manage to draft a pair of contributors in the later rounds: tight end Dennis Pitta and defensive end Arthur Jones. Both of those players inked their rookie contracts on this date eight years ago.
The Ravens used their fourth-round pick (#114) on Pitta, a tight end out of Brigham Young. He ended up playing his entire seven-year career in Baltimore, winning a championship along the way. His best season came in 2012, when he hauled in 61 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns, and his 2,098 career receiving yards rank 12th in franchise history. Unfortunately, Pitta suffered a number of injuries throughout his career, forcing him to miss 46 regular season games. After suffering a hip injury during last year’s OTAs, the Ravens ended up cutting the veteran, effectively ending his career.
Jones, who was selected with the team’s second fifth-rounder, mostly served in a reserve role for the Ravens during the first three years of his career, including their Super Bowl run in 2012 (the defensive end finished with a key sack and fumble recovery in the victory). He took on a bigger role in 2013, finishing with 53 tackles and four sacks. He ended up inking a lucrative five-year deal with the Colts worth more than $30MM, but he never managed to stay healthy during his tenure in Indy. The 32-year-old played in a single game for the Redskins this past season.
While no one would ever declare the Ravens 2010 draft as a “win” (the team also drafted wideout David Reed and offensive tackle Ramon Harewood), their pair of later-round picks ended up having solid NFL careers.
Extra Points: Anthem, Giants, Rams
Last month, the NFL changed its rules regarding the national anthem, allowing players who choose to not stand to remain in the locker room. So far, the new policy has not been well-received, and this week a group of civil rights organizations asked the NFL to eliminate the new rule.
“This policy represses peaceful, non-disruptive protest of police violence against unarmed African Americans and other people of color,” the various groups wrote (via USA Today). “It is disappointing that a league built on grit and competition lacks the constitution to stomach a call for basic equality and fairness.”
The groups want to meet with Roger Goodell to discuss the situation, but it’s not clear whether he’ll take them up on their offer, or if the league is willing to change course on its decision.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- In addition to some of the more obvious candidates for extensions this offseason, CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry suggests Giants safety Landon Collins, Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks, Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, and Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley are among those in line for new deals. Collins’ case is particularly interesting as the Giants shift to a different scheme under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher. The Giants will ask Collins to play a good deal of man coverage, which isn’t necessarily his strong suit, so the Giants might not want to pay him at the top of the safety market.
- In an interview with SiriusXM, Steelers free agent safety Mike Mitchell indicated that he hasn’t received much interest on the open market. The Steelers said in March that a return was possible, but that seems unlikely after the team added rookie safeties Terrell Edmunds (first round) and Marcus Allen (fith round) as well as free agent Morgan Burnett.
Ravens Sign First-Round TE Hayden Hurst
The Ravens have agreed to sign rookie tight end Hayden Hurst, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that signing, the Ravens now have both of their entire draft class wrapped up. 
Hurst, a 6’5″, 250-pound prospect out of South Carolina, initially planned for a career in baseball after the Pirates drafted him in 2012 as a pitcher. After two years in the Gulf Coast League, he walked on with the Gamecocks in 2015. In 2016, he broke out with school records at the position in receptions and tight ends. He followed that up with a similarly strong campaign in 2017, positioning himself as one of the top tight ends in the 2018 class.
Hurst’s detour into baseball made him one of the oldest rookie’s in this year’s class and he’ll celebrate his 25th birthday before the start of the season. However, the Ravens believe the potential is still there. This year, he’ll serve as the Ravens’ top tight end, ahead of Nick Boyle and former second-round selection Maxx Williams.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Ravens’ draft class, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-25: Hayden Hurst, TE (South Carolina): Signed
- 1-32: Lamar Jackson, QB (Louisville): Signed
- 3-83: Orlando Brown, T (Oklahoma): Signed
- 3-86: Mark Andrews, TE (Oklahoma): Signed
- 4-118: Anthony Averett, CB (Alabama): Signed
- 4-122: Kenny Young, LB (UCLA): Signed
- 4-132: Jaleel Scott, WR (New Mexico State): Signed
- 5-162: Jordan Lasley, WR (UCLA): Signed
- 6-190: DeShon Elliott, S (Texas): Signed
- 6-212: Greg Senat, T (Wagner): Signed
- 6-215: Bradley Bozeman, C (Alabama): Signed
- 7-238: Zach Sieler, DE (Ferris State): Signed
Nico Siragusa Fully Participates In Minicamp, Alex Lewis Held Out
- The Ravens have some depth along their offensive line, part of which is last year’s fourth-round pick, Nico Siragusa. Siragusa suffered a brutal injury last August, as he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL. Of course, that ended his rookie campaign before it began, but as Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun writes, Siragusa was able to fully participate in last week’s minicamp. He will compete for a backup role this year and could soon become a starting guard or center if he can remain healthy. Alex Lewis, who also missed the entire 2017 season, is expected to start somewhere along the O-line this year — either at left guard, center, or right tackle — but he was held out of minicamp due to back spasms. Head coach John Harbaugh said Lewis should be ready for training camp, but the Nebraska product’s injury history will be cause for concern until he can manage to stay out of the training room for an extended period of time.
Flacco, Jackson To Share The Field?
As soon as the Ravens took Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick in this year’s draft, many assumed the Joe Flacco-era in Baltimore was coming to an end. Although Flacco has reportedly shown well in OTAs and minicamp thus far and Jackson doesn’t appear to be a threat for the starting job in 2018, the Ravens are still thrilled with their rookie. All the reports this offseason indicate the Ravens have been very impressed by Jackson’s development.
With Flacco still in line to take all the snaps at quarterback, the team is now looking for alternative ways to get Jackson on the field. Jackson will certainly be active on game days, and will be used in a variety of unique packages which feature him and Flacco at the same time, according to Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh sounded very excited about the prospect of having “two quarterbacks on the field at the same time.” The Ravens may use the packages as an opportunity to see how Jackson responds to being thrown into a real live NFL game. If he shows well, the team could decide to move on from Flacco after this season and still be alright financially despite Flacco’s hefty contract.
Terrell Suggs Going Year-To-Year
Terrell Suggs appears set to go after Ray Lewis‘ mark for most years in a Ravens uniform. Should the outside linebacker make it through all 16 games this season, he’ll surpass the Hall of Fame-bound Lewis’ games-played mark of 228. Suggs sits on 213, but this being his 16th season, he’ll need to play through the 2019 slate with the franchise to match Lewis’ 17 years of Ravens service. He doesn’t see that being a problem. Suggs said in May he envisions multiple additional seasons, despite entering his age-35 campaign, and ensured he wasn’t planning to make this one his last. At least, he won’t be making any announcements about 2018 being his final season beforehand. Per Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), Suggs is on a year-to-year setup at this point. But the Ravens’ all-time sack leader said “I really couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.” Suggs rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 17 edge defender last season.