Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is heading into the final year of his contract, and Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that he and the team are far apart in negotiating a new deal.And that makes me wonder if Lewis is heading into his final year with the Ravens. Lewis turns 33 next week, and although he's still a decent player, he's nowhere near the kind of dominant linebacker he was five or 10 years ago. And although Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has said he expects Lewis to be a Raven for life, he isn't likely to want to pay Lewis like a star.
So if Lewis can find a team that will pay him like a star, he could leave in February or March of 2009. Mike Florio wonders at Pro Football Talk whether the Cowboys -- who currently have Lewis's little brother under contract -- might be interested. If it comes down to a bidding war between Bisciotti and Jerry Jones, I'd bet on Jones to fork over more cash.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Ray Lewis will be a gone pecan from the Ravens after this season since the Ravens will not pay Ray his new salary because of his age and the Ravens don't like players who speak their minds against their bosses.
Posted at 11:55PM on May 7th 2008 by George B Vieto
2. Dallas has too many core defensive players like Ware, Canty, and TNew--not to mention offensive guys like Barber and TO--coming up for contracts in the next couple of years to spend the money on Lewis.
Posted at 7:36AM on May 8th 2008 by BlueStarDude
3. Why is it that every player under the sun has been linked to the Cowboys by this blog? MDS do you have no sense of the fact the the Cowboys aren't allowed to have the entire NFL on their roster? So far Cris Henry, Darren McFadden, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and many, many more have been linked to them. Does anything make sense to you?
Posted at 4:30PM on May 8th 2008 by tom
4. Ray Lewis may be a rah, rah man but his days at the pro bowl are over. I personally wouldn't walk across the street to spit in his face but what ever happened to loyalty to the team that gave you the opportunity and the fans that supported you all those years, GREED YES GREED HAS TAKEN OVER. In the meantime Baltimore has one of the worse school systems in the country but they have 2 new stadiums and collapsing schools.
Posted at 6:38PM on May 8th 2008 by jerry schablein
5. Despite what the naysayers and Baltimore haters say, it will get done. He is the face of the franchise. He's not going anywhere.
Posted at 6:41PM on May 8th 2008 by Jason
6. IF THE DALLAS COWBOYS WANT TO LOAD UP THE ROSTER WITH MORE AND MORE CRIMINALS, THEN I SAY SOMEBODY ELSE WILL DESERVE THE MANTLE OF 'AMERICA'S TEAM', AND I WOULD PREFER TO WATCH WHOEVER ELSE THAT IS. I WOULD BUY THIER MERCHANDISE, GET TICKETS FOR THIER GAMES, AND GIVE TO CHARITIES THEY SUPPORTED. I DON'T LIKE OR SUPPORT THUGS LIKE PACMAN JONES AND BIG MOUTH RAY LEWIS. THEY SHOULD BE IN PRISON ANYWAY, NOT WEARING THAT STAR ON THIER HELMET!!!
Posted at 6:51PM on May 10th 2008 by ART CHURCHWELL
7. I can't figure why everyone is so concerned about RayRay for '09. Either he's going to stay in Baltimore until his HOF induction, or he's going to follow a paycheck that is probably going to be more for his leadership and experience than what is left of his ability to perfor. But the fact is, none of it matters and none of it could be reasonably pressumed until '08 runs its course. Either the Ravens are going to be renewed and on their way to another title run in a few years, or they won't and who knows; either Ray will be productive and the presumptive leader for that title run, or he won't and who knows. No one would blame him for cutting a few bucks off the paycheck and sticking with his only team for another run at the Superbowl, nor should they for taking another big payday. If given the choice, no one here would pass up a big money, three year contract if they were Ray and at that point in his career. It's too bad some fans fool themselves to believe otherwise. Certainly, we fans wish for loyalty beyond loyalty. But the NFL is a business, folks, and the players and their agents are providers of product in that business. Let's get real. Production from an NFL player has value just as any product you buy. Let's not inflate it beyond that for we will inevitably be disappointed for our naivatae.
And, by the way, shame on the foolishness of still, after all of the years, leaning on the "Ray Lewis is a criminal" crutch. Please. ...Please. Perhaps he made a mistake, perhaps it was worse or less severe than your imagination would have it, but he has been clean as a whistle (and I mean COMPLETELY clean) for his entire career. Of all of the opportunities to resort to such easy claims as to say someone's a criminal in this league, Ray Lewis is a pretty simplistic choice, Jason (or whoever).
Posted at 1:09PM on May 12th 2008 by BJ
8. ANYBODY THAT FLAPS HIS JAW AS MUCH AS RAY LEWIS, AND GOES OUT AND GETS INVOLVED IN A MAN'S MURDER, IS IN FACT A CRIMINAL. HE WILL NEVER, FROM THAT INSTANT ONWARD, BE WORTHY TO HAVE HIS NAME ACCOUNTED WITH THE HALL OF FAME AND THE IMMORTALS ENSHRINED THERE. NOBODY ELSE IN THE HALL OF FAME KILLED SOMEBODY WHEN THEY LOST CONTROL OF THIER MOUTH, TEMPER, AND SENSE OF PLACE. THE NFL OWNERS CAN DEMONSTRATE SOME DEGREE OF HONOR BY NOT PLACING HIM ON THIER ROSTER.
Posted at 9:04AM on May 17th 2008 by ART CHURCHWELL