On the surface, the new 5-year deal signed by Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback Lardarius Webb is just a massive payday for the soon-to-be 27-year old rising star.
The money is huge…but the contract is structured so there is minimal if any hit to the current salary cap limits of the Ravens.
Webb and the Ravens agreed in principle to a six-year contract on Thursday (April 5). The deal is reportedly worth $50 million total, with a $10 million signing bonus and more than $20 million guaranteed, according to the Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times.
“Lardarius is an important player for the Ravens and we’re very happy he will be with us for a long time,” General Manager Ozzie Newsome said. “We have a good history of completing second contracts for targeted players we want to keep for the long haul. We did that recently with Jameel McClain, just like we did with Haloti (Ngata), ‘Sizzle,’ (Terrell Suggs), ‘J.J.’ (Jarret Johnson), Marshal (Yanda) – and many more through the years.”
The news comes one day after Newsome confirmed the team was trying to work out long-term deals with Webb and fellow fourth-year cornerback Cary Williams.
A former third-round pick out of Nicholls State, Webb is entering his fourth NFL season and second as a full-time starter. In his first year as a starter, Webb burst onto the scene and led the team with five interceptions and 20 passes defended and also had 68 tackles. He added three more interceptions in the playoffs and proved to be a valuable punt returner throughout the year.
He played a key part of a defense that ranked fourth (196.3 yards per game) in the NFL against the pass. Webb may be too expensive and valuable now to risk his returning of punts any longer.
Below the surface of this deal, All-Pro safety Ed Reed must be wondering if his big payday is going to come… Reed after all “invented” the Big Play in the Ravens defensive backfield, and he could be forgiven for harboring a little resentment at the huge money just awarded to the younger Webb.
Meanwhile, another Ravens corner Chris Carr was signed by the Minnesota Vikings, and nose tackle Brandon McKinney was signed by the Indianapolis Colts. It appears the Ravens will be content to seek new depth at those positions in the upcoming draft. I don’t expect any huge FA signings at corner or defensive tackle by the Ravens.
Ed Reed wants a big-money extension of his current contract. Ray Rice wants a long-term deal similar to the one Lardarius Webb just got. Joe Flacco wants a big-money extension of his contract, too, and now has a new contractual reference point thanks to Webb.
Big plays, baby–in Baltimore, they will pay for big plays.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
