July 16 is the official deadline for Ray Rice to sign his “franchise tag” contract with the Ravens. But what if, like Drew Brees with the Saints, Ray refuses to sign?
Ray Rice is active in the Baltimore community conducting anti-bullying workshops for kids and teachers while his contract drama plays out…
While the Ravens sat out the supplemental draft, the Ray Rice question hangs over the Baltimore football fan base like a grey rain cloud.
Wide receiver Josh Gordon was the only player taken in the supplemental draft, as the Cleveland Browns gave up a second-round pick in 2013 to acquire the former Baylor 6-foot-3 product. Baltimore has only made one supplemental draft pick in team history, taking tackle Jared Gaither in 2007.
So there was no hoped-for diversion from the Ray Rice dilemma.
The Ravens and Rice have until 4 P.M. on Monday, July 16, 2012, to work out a new long-term contract. If that deadline passes without a new deal in place, then Rice and the Ravens will have to wait until next offseason to re-open long-term contract talks.
The Ravens have currently placed the franchise tag on the fifth-year running back, but he has yet to sign the tag ($7.7 million for the 2012 season). Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com recently laid out the possible scenarios that could play out on July 16:
Two sides reach a deal by July 16
Rice gets paid and the Ravens keep their franchise running back in purple and black for the foreseeable future. The two sides would have to compromise on the length and financial terms of the contract, and it’s unknown how close they are. Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti said last month the two sides are “not that far off,” but the specifics of proposed contracts terms have not been made public. While it doesn’t appear much progress has been made throughout the offseason, history has shown these deals tend to get done late in the process when a deadline is looming. That’s what happened last year with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
Two sides don’t reach a new deal, Rice signs franchise tag immediately and reports to camp
If the Ravens can’t work out a new contract with Rice, then the only option is for him to play this season under the one-year tag worth about $7.7 million (unless he decides to sit out the year, which is unlikely).
Two sides don’t reach a new deal, Rice waits to sign franchise tag and holds out
The other possibility for Rice is that he decides not to report to training camp right away or even longer. Some players opt to go that route because they don’t have a long-term guarantee and would rather not risk injury during camp. Players are paid their annual salary when the regular season starts, so they go through camp for much smaller compensation (per diem of about $1,600 a week). Players can get fined if they miss time during training camp, but Rice would not be subject to those fines because he would still not be under contract.
Another team tries to sign Rice
This has never happened, but it technically could, according to Pro Football Talk. Franchised players are able to be signed by opposing teams past the July 16 deadline, but doing so carries a hefty price tag. The opposing team would have to sign the player to an offer sheet that the current team doesn’t match. If the current team doesn’t match the offer within a week, then the new team would have to give them a first-round pick in 2013 and 2014. This is a complex nuance within the CBA and no franchised player has ever been signed by another team while under the tag.
FYI:
There are two “types” of franchise tags – exclusive and non-exclusive.
Exclusive franchise players cannot be signed by any other team (Drew Brees is an exclusive franchise player – as was Suggs 2 years ago)…
But Ray Rice is a non-exclusive franchise player and could technically be signed by another team.
Actually, this has happened before…kinda. The Seahawks franchised Joey Galloway and he held out. The Cowboys signed him to a deal and gave up 2 first round picks. That technically happened in the format of a trade – which is exactly what the provision in the CBA was designed to do.
Prediction: I predict that Ray signs the franchise tag and gets signed to a big contract at the end of the season. P.S.—my predictions are often wrong!
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