Ravens Place Franchise Tag On Ray Rice

 

Ray Rice has been truly amazing for the Baltimore Ravens, as he came off a league-best 2,068 yards from scrimmage this past season. The Ravens recently placed a franchise tag on the running back, which means he will be due $7.7 million next season. 

However, the Ravens look to use this as to negotiate for a longer deal in the future. 

"As we have in the past, placing the franchise designation on a player allows us to keep negotiating on a long-term contract," general manager Ozzie Newsome said Friday. "Our goal is to keep Ray Rice a Raven. "

A similar thing happened when the Ravens franchised Haloti Ngata, who ended up trading the franchise tag for a five-year, $61 million deal. Could Rice go in that path?

"I'm not going to complain about the franchise tag, but I prefer the long-term. That's what Baltimore, the city, the fans, would love to know -- that Ray Rice is going to be here, not just one year, but for many years to come," Rice said back in January after the team's loss in the AFC Championship.

Look to see him sign a long-term deal in the next coming months or so.

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Written by Josh Dhani, Founder

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and has founded the websites FootBasket, Hardcourt Mayhem, Gridiron Mayhem, and Staring Down Spike. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani