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Crystal Ball - Tag Suggs and trade for Fitzgerald

The idea is a long shot but not far-fetched
Posted On: 1/17/08
Written By:  
Dev Panchwagh
Tag Suggs and trade for Fitzgerald Tag Suggs and trade for Fitzgerald
Terrell Suggs is not the only big-ticket player on deck to potentially receive a nice payday from the Baltimore Ravens.
 
Jason Brown’s contract will be up after the ‘08 season. As it stands now, Brown is entering the restricted free agency pool. He will be a hot commodity on the open market.
 
There is no question that the Ravens will need to tag him with the highest qualifying offer. This move would force an interested club to fork over a first-and-a third round pick from the upcoming draft if Baltimore doesn’t match the contract. No team will give up that much to land Brown.
 
On the other hand, if the Ravens try to get cute and give Brown the second qualifying offer, which requires meeting a first round price, Baltimore could lose Brown if they don’t match another team’s offer. The third offer would net the Ravens a fourth round choice.
 
Keep in mind teams that have the cap room can structure a contract in such a way to prevent the Ravens from matching the parameters of any new deal. For instance, a team with the prerequisite cap space in ‘08 could hypothetically front load the deal and force the cap strapped Ravens to ante up around $8 million or more in total salary allocation to keep Brown in the fold.
 
This is a plight the Ravens should strive to avoid at all costs.
 
Even if Brown’s services are secured for at least one more season, the question remains, how much money will it take to extend Brown for the next five or six years?
 
Brown will likely angle for a deal that is similar to what guard Eric Steinbach received from Cleveland in the off season. Steinbach earned a seven-year contract worth $49 million, with around $17 million of that amount guaranteed.
 
That is a lot of coin to spend on a guard, but due to the inflation of the salary cap since the new collective bargaining agreement was instituted, guards have been getting paid as if they were quarterbacks.
 
Bills right guard Derrick Dockery signed a similarly structured deal as a free agent from Washington. Like Steinbach, Dockery had not earned a Pro Bowl berth prior to signing on the dotted line.
 
Brown will get paid, either by the Ravens or some other team, if he is allowed to hit the open market in ‘09. He is already viewed as one of the best, young interior lineman in the league by many NFL observers. The fact that he can play center in a pinch increases his value.
 
If the Ravens want Brown to man the guard position for them over the long haul, they need to crunch some numbers and hammer out a deal some time soon, as his price tag continues to rise…
 
One of the major positives to come out of the Ravens’ end of the year victory against the Steelers was that the team was able to evaluate a couple of its young backups, specifically at the tailback position.

In the absence of Willis McGahee, Musa Smith and Cory Ross broke out in a big way against the Steelers’ first team defense. Both players are slated to be free agents.
 
If it is feasible, the Ravens should make an effort to bring back both players. Smith started out slowly, but he picked up steam as he shook off the rust from the neck injury he suffered a year ago. He ran with purpose, especially up the middle. If he is brought back, he should not be the team’s third-down back.

On the other hand, Ross could fit nicely in that role. Ross has been completely hit or miss as a playmaker for the Ravens, but it appears that he is too talented to overlook. He is terrific in the open field and has the explosiveness to hit the edges. The issue is whether he can pick up the blitz as a pass blocker.
 
If both players are brought back, along with P.J. Daniels, the Ravens will have a nice mix of players to back up McGahee next season…
 
There was a report out of the East Valley Tribune that Terrell Suggs would like to come back to his hometown in Arizona to play for the Cardinals. He expressed this point at an Arizona State basketball game.
 
Now, the fact that Suggs made this statement, regardless of the context, is a whole issue on to itself that will not be touched on in this column.
 
That said, perhaps the Ravens could accommodate Suggs at some point after the free agency period begins.
 
If Suggs is franchised, the Ravens will have the flexibility to move him to another team. Under a trade scenario, Baltimore would need to agree to a certain return in compensation, perhaps in the form of draft picks that vary from the first and third pick combination the club would receive if another team had Suggs sign their offer sheet.
 
However, the Ravens could also attempt to trade Suggs for other players -- perhaps even Larry Fitzgerald.
 
Fitzgerald’s total salary is estimated to be worth $16 million in ‘08. That is an astronomical figure, and clearly, his contract will need to be restructured.
 
Arizona will work to lower his salary by converting a good chunk of Fitzgerald’s base salary into guaranteed money.
 
However, it is also possible that the Cardinals may not be able to work out a new deal for one of their best players. Arizona is not exactly known to be one of the big spenders in the league.
 
If Fitzgerald’s contract is not reworked by March and the negotiations hit a wall, the Ravens could dangle Suggs and make a swap. Instead of committing upwards of $20 million guaranteed to a hybrid pass-rusher, the Ravens could simply shift their salary allocation to Fitzgerald, who would fill a bigger need for the team.
 
The odds are long for this situation to play out, but it’s something to think about.
 
Perhaps deals of this magnitude can be a bit more realistic than a player swap on Madden 2008.

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Posted On: 1/17/08
Written By:  
Dev Panchwagh

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