Recently Cut Houshmandzadeh Reportedly Finds New Home With Ravens

The Ravens signed WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Monday one day after long-time Ravens LB Ray Lewis reached out to the former Seattle receiver.

"Ray said, 'If you want to win, this is the place to be,''' Houshmandzadeh told USA TODAY Monday after agreeing to a one-year, $855,000 deal with the Ravens. "The way he is on the field is how he is off the field. Passionate. Our conversation was passionate and insightful. "I know from competing againt those guys when I was in Cincinnati how it is in Baltimore.''

Houshmandzadeh went on to say that there are only five or six teams with a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl this year and the Ravens are one of them with or without him.

It's hard to say Houshmandzadeh's a downgrade at receiver so Baltimore is definitely considered a contender.

Check out Baltimore Beatdown for more on T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh's time spent in the unemployment line was short.

The wide receiver, who Seattle cut on Saturday, has signed with the Baltimore Ravens for a one-year, $855,000 deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Seahawks will also pay him the $6.15 million they still owe him. 

Houshmandzadeh was reportedly deciding between the Raiders and Redskins, but in the end, he signed with a club that twice plays his original team, the Bengals.

He is now part of a crowded group of wide receivers, joining Derrick Mason, Anquan Boldin, Mark Clayton and Donte' Stallworth.

For all things Ravens, visit Baltimore Beatdown.

It was a certainty that T.J. Houshmandzadeh was on his way out of Seattle on Friday, but there were rumblings about him being shopped around in a trade. Apparently, that won't be happening: ESPN's Chris Mortensen tweeted that Houshmandzadeh has been cut, and filed an ESPN story to that effect, citing sources.

Houshmandzadeh's time in Seattle goes down as a colossal disappointment for the Seahawks. He was signed to a five-year, $40 million deal in 2009, but caught just three touchdowns last season, and the Seahawks will have paid him $15 million for those services after their responsibilities are fulfilled.

Houshmandzadeh now becomes an attractive option at wide receiver for any number of teams seeking a big target.

There were reports earlier in the week that the Seahawks were looking into trading wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. As Adam Schefter reports on Friday, the Seahawks are prepared to release Houshmandzadeh if they have to.

The team is also promoting Mike Williams to a starting spot. Yes, that Mike Williams, the 2005 first-round pick who hasn't appeared in the NFL since 2007.

Houshmandzadeh's expected release is good news for teams around the NFL in need of a wide receiver, as Adam Schefter points out:

His Seahawks contract includes offset language that makes Seattle liable to pay Houshmanzadeh whatever his new team doesn't.

So if Houshmanzadeh were to sign a veteran minimum deal of $850,000, the Seahawks would be liable for the remaining $6.15 million balance.

For more on the Seahawks' wide receiver situation, check in with our Seahawks blog, Field Gulls.