Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a six-year contract worth a record $120 million which was initially reported by ESPN Adam Schefter and according to USA Today, $52 million is guaranteed.
This new contract will make Flacco the highest paid player in NFL history. The Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and Flacco’s sports agent Joe Linta are working on the details of the contract for the potential Monday signing. This will put Flacco above New Orleans Saint Quarterback Drew Brees who is currently averaging $20 million a year.
Flacco who is coming off of his final year of his rookie contract this past season making $6.76 million with his new $120.6 million in place will be earning $168,908 a game. If this deal can reached between Flacco and the Ravens by 4 p.m. Monday which is the franchise deadline, it would benefit the Raven organization by avoiding a salary cap penalty of $19.5 million.
Flacco who decided to complete the last year of his contract rather than engage in new contract discussions, at the beginning of last season said he would earn a new contract and win the Super Bowl. Many may have believed that Flacco was out of his mind, but he proved them wrong and he did exactly what he predicted by winning the Super Bowl and the MVP trophy to top it off.
During this past season Flacco, 28-years-old, threw for 22 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. In his career Flacco has thrown for 17,633 yards, 102 touchdowns and 52 interceptions in 80 games. During this year’s Super Bowl’s four-game run Flacco threw for 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Flacco stands alone as the only quarterback to win a postseason game in each of his first five seasons. He also holds the record for playoff roads wins with six.
Some have said that Flacco is not worthy of big time or elite quarterback status but Linta defended his client Flacco stating:
“It’s nice to be right,” Linta said. “Everybody laughed about it when I said he’s a top-five guy. When I said he should be the highest-paid player in the NFL, they thought I was a jackass. Hey, I do my job.”
Speaking on free agency Newsome said:
“If we are able to get a deal done, it will allow us to participate more in the (free agent) market, if we so choose.”
This will help the Ravens organization to now focus on their other free agents Ed Reed, Paul Kruger and Bryant McKinnie.
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