Though most first-round rookies typically don’t sign contracts until after the Fourth of July, the Ravens are already working on a deal with their first-round pick, quarterback Joe Flacco.
Per James Walker of ESPN.com, agent Joe Linta arrived in Baltimore on Sunday night, and spent Monday negotiation the parameters of a five-year deal.
“They want him in and he wants to be in,” Linta said. “So the sooner that you start talking, the better chance you have of finishing before the deadline.”
As Walker points out, the two quarterbacks taken in round one of the 2007 involved two of the most contentious sets of contract talks. Even if Flacco gets signed, we doubt that the deal will be an easy one between the Falcons and Tom Condon of CAA for quarterback Matt Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick — primarily because Condon knows that the Falcons can ill afford to have a holdout from the new face of the franchise.
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May 13th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Flacco needs to get paid quick. He was a bust before they even called his name.
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Rating: 2.75 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 13th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Another reason for signing Joe Flacco — he’s a standup guy who wants to show the Ravens made the right choice by signing him. He’s got a great skill set and great intangibles. Hopefully this is the start of a great run in an area in which the Ravens have desperately needed to hit a home run. WTG Joe!
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Rating: 1.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 13th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
No way he will sign before the 17th pick is signed. Agents are so paranoid about doing bad deal for a high profile player, I don’t see him being one of the first first-rounders signed.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Maybe he wants to get his money quick before they realize they just signed Kyle Boller again.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 1:25 am
There is a certain air of confidence that Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens are exhibiting. Most of us are kind of skeptical as to how things will work out in Baltimore, but the people over there clearly are not. Maybe Flacco will be the next extraordinary NFL QB. Who knows? Do the Ravens know something that all of us do not?
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Is it because this guy was a 1st rounder that everyone is so high on him? Hmmm D-1 AA school, and great arm strength…pretty much sums up Tavaris Jackson. I would rather take this thought in a different direction rather than say Flacco will be a bust and say give t-jack one more year because if Flacco had the same couple of years in the league, with the same production as t-jack, than people would be saying give Flacco one more year, and they would only be saying that because of his 1st round status. So it is only fair for another D-1 AA player with a rocket arm to have one more year as a starter. p.s. The ravens and vikings seem pretty similar. Run 1st and play sound D
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 3:19 am
I think Flacco was the anti-Woodson of this draft, in that he thought he was going to go much later than he actually did. He also may have a chance to start as a rookie and doesn’t want to pull a Brady Quinn (and hold out of training camp) and open the door for Kyle Boller who could fit perfectly in Cam Cameron’s offense and pull a Derek Anderson (and keep the rookie on the bench).
Given these facts, and my impression based on interviews and press conferences, I think Flacco may be willing to give up that extra 5% or 10% to get into camp and get working. He’ll still make more than he probably expected to make.
Of course, I could be wrong.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I agree with what the last guy said. It’s amazing to me that these rookies continually hold out and lose their jobs to veterans after what recent history has shown us. If I’m Cleveland I trade Quinn now for the best possibly draft choice. Maybe Joey will be the next to rise up.
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May 14th, 2008 at 8:19 am
can someone please name anything good that EVER came out of Delaware????
anyone??
anyone??
here is a fun Delaware fact for ya: The first tractor John Deere made is in the Messick Agricultural Museum, Inc. in Harrington, Delaware. The museum features old tractors, implements, tools, antique kitchen, smokehouse equipment, gasoline engines, treadmills, antique wagons, and more.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 14th, 2008 at 8:45 am
If Flacco is smart he’ll sign quick and turn his focus on learning the playbook. He should learn from the Brady Quinn example of last year. If you hold out for more money, in the end you could end up sitting on the bench behind a quarterback no one thought could be this good. Derek Anderson wasn’t eeven the original starter last year. Flacco should get in camp and compete.
With that said, there is no way that his agent will do a deal this early without knowing what the players picked around Flacco in the draft are getting. Every agent is paranoid of doing a ‘bad’ deal.
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May 14th, 2008 at 9:33 am
What ever came out of Delaware? NFL wise, how about Rich Gannon, one of the better passer this league saw in recent years. We don’t talk about him much because of what happened in the 2002 Superbowl against Bucs and then he broke his neck. But he was a good passer in that Oakland system.
Steve McNair was a top pick from Alcorn State Div 1-AA, but he also had the benefit of sitting on the bench for a bit. That’s probably the best case scenario for Flacco, is to sit behind Troy Smith or Kyle Boller for at least a year while he gets his feet wet in terms of the playbook and the speed of the NFL.
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May 14th, 2008 at 10:01 am
IC light pounder:
Teflon and George Thouroughgood are the only things I can come up with. On the other hand, Rich Gannon played at Delaware and he eventually turned out to be pretty good.
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May 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
And the Christiana mall is nice too!
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May 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Rock me Amadeus. Oh wait that was Falco.
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May 14th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
It doesn’t matter if he signs now and knows the playbook front and backwards. He’s going to be a BUST. He is definitely not the answer to the ravens list of sinpar QB’s. Name one logical reason why he would be the next great NFL QB?
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May 15th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Stop comparing this guy to the Anderson/Quinn situation in Cleveland. The Browns had elite receivers in Edwards and Winslow and one of the best Olines in the league. They had all the weapons ready for Anderson to break out. The Ravens on the other hand have an old decrepit line and who besides a Ravens fan can name their best receiver without looking it up? Flacco would be better off holding out to get the best possible deal that he can and let Boller be the one who gets his butt kicked behind that fossilized line trying to throw to junior varsity receivers.
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May 15th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Yeah the ravens receivers and p line does suck. I agree with the previous guy I can’t name not 1 good receiver they have
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