Joe Flacco was one of a number of quarterbacks to get a large pay raise this offseason. The quarterback signed a six-year, $120.6 million contract extension after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in February. Both he and the team have been criticized for the contract, but Flacco's agent has since said it could have all been avoided if the Ravens had signed his client sooner.
Joe Linta told USA Today Sports that the Ravens could have provided a large amount of salary cap relief if they had signed Flacco last August, instead of in 2013. Flacco turned down a deal worth an average of $16 million over five years. The stall could have been avoided if the Ravens had added an extra million onto the final year of the contract.
When discussing the dispute, Linta said it was about "$1 million six years from now, in the base salary non-guaranteed money, and they walked away. It cost them $35 million. So I have no sympathy. None," Linta said.
Linta said the move by the Ravens was one of the dumbest he had ever seen. The defending champs then signed Flacco to a much larger deal, leaving them little flexibility for the rest of the offseason. As a result, they were forced to let both Anquan Boldin, Ed Reed and Dannell Ellerbe leave. All player that were crucial to the team's overall success in 2012.
Joe Flacco decided to play out the final year of his contract in 2012 and proved that he deserved to be named a marquee player in the process. He put together 3,817 yards last season, along with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while being named the Super Bowl MVP.
It was those numbers that likely pushed the Ravens to up the salary offer for Flacco. He had the third-best quarterback rating in his past four season, earning him the pay raise. Because the contract is such a burden to their salary cap space, Flacco will likely be forced to restructure his deal in 2016. His salary will rise to about $28.55 million, causing a huge hit to the Ravens.
Baltimore will enter into 2013 as a much different team than they were in 2012 and much of that is due to Flacco's contract. If the team fails to follow up on their recent success, he could receive much of the blame.