Ravens Lock Up Ray Rice With 5-Year Contract

Ray Rice Gets $40 Million From Ravens, According To Report

Ray Rice signed a five-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens just under Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Rice would have had to play for $7.7 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent after next season if a deal didn't get done. Instead, he will earn $40 million over the length of the contract, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Ray Rice signed a five-year, $40 million contract that includes $17 million in year one and $25 million in the first two years.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 16, 2012

Rice remained optimistic throughout the offseason that a deal would get done. Ultimately he was proven right, even if negotiations came down to the wire. The fifth-year running back led the league with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage last season. He also earned his second career Pro Bowl selection.

For more on the Ravens and Ray Rice, check out SB Nation's Ravens blog, Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice Agrees To 5-Year Contract With Ravens, According To Report

Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a five-year contract extension, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network. The news comes down right at Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, which means both sides were working up against the clock. .

Breer can share credit with Ravens fullback Vonta Leach for breaking the story. With only 20 minutes until the deadline, Leach wrote on his Twitter account:

@RayRice27 seen arriving at #Ravensfacilities bout 15 minutes ago.

— VontaLeach44 (@vleach44) July 16, 2012

That sparked the flurry of reporters honing in on Rice's deal.

We'll wait for the specific numbers but a running back in a similar situation, Matt Forte, signed a four-year contract that averaged $8 million per season.

For more on the Ravens and Ray Rice, check out SB Nation's Ravens blog,Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice 'Optimistic' About Extension Before Monday's Deadline

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice said he's "always optimistic" that he will come to an agreement on a new contract with the organization prior to Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. If he cannot reach a deal with the Ravens by then, he will have to play under the franchise tag in 2012. That franchise designation would pay him $7.7. million next season, but Rice told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that he holds out hope that a deal will be worked out:

"I'm always optimistic," Rice said while playing host to "A Ray of Hope," an anti-bullying teen suicide outreach event at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. "God has put me in a position where not too many people can say they've been. I never played for the dollars and all of that other stuff. My rookie contract, quite frankly, you just signed it and go play football so this is a little bit difference of an experience for me."

While the Pro Bowl back remains hopeful, there have been no reports of progress made between his representative Todd France and the Ravens. Much like Drew Brees, the franchise quarterback who signed a massive new deal on Friday, Rice skipped offseason workouts this spring and summer as he waited for a new deal.

For more on the Ravens and Ray Rice's situation, check out SB Nation's Ravens blog, Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice, Ravens Still Working On Longterm Contract

Running back Ray Rice was given the franchise tag by the Baltimore Ravens at the beginning of March. The deadline to sign the franchise tender is getting close, but Rice is hoping for a new contract and sat out of last week's minicamp waiting for a deal to get done.

Brad Gagnon at Sports Radio Interviews brings us some comments Rice made during an interview with 790 The Zone in Atlanta. Rice was asked how he keeps his football training separate from contract negotiations during the offseason, in light of sitting out of minicamp.

"I have the best agent in football, so I let him take care of all the other stuff and my job is to always be ready. And the good thing about my situation is that I'm not going into a new offensive system. I'm going into a system that I've been in going into my fifth year, so as far as the football stuff, it's gonna be just catching up to speed and polishing the fundamentals."

Rice has expressed his desire to remain in a Ravens uniform as long as possible, but also wants the best possible deal before he signs.

For all news and information regarding the Baltimore Ravens, please visit Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice Doesn't Plan To Attend Ravens Offseason Workouts Absent A New Contract, According To Report

At the unveiling of Nike's new NFL uniforms, Ray Rice told reporters that he looks forward to attending offseason workouts for the Baltimore Ravens. But a report from Aaron Wilson of Scout.com says otherwise. Wilson reports that, despite what Rice said on Tuesday, he does not plan on attending the Ravens offseason workouts until he has a new contract.

The Ravens can start their offseason program on April 16. Most of the workouts are voluntary so he technically wouldn't be doing anything wrong but most players end up attending. As Wilson notes, the Ravens have a history of getting longterm deals done with franchise players including Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs.

Rice is currently under the franchise tag, which will pay him approximately $7.7 million. The Ravens have until July 15 to get a longterm deal done with him or else he will play the 2012 season under the franchise tag.

For more on the Ravens, visit SB Nation's Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice Officially Franchised By The Ravens

Unsurprisingly, Ray Rice was handed the Baltimore Ravens' franchise tag on Friday. He will be among the highest paid running backs in the league, earning $7.7 million next season. More importantly, the Ravens bought time to negotiate a long term contract with arguably their most important offensive player. Rice was set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

"As we have in the past, placing the franchise designation on a player allows us to keep negotiating on a long-term contract," Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Our goal is to keep Ray Rice a Raven. We've done this with other outstanding players through our history, including Haloti Ngata a year ago."

The Ravens could remove Rice's franchise tag if they can get a new contract in place by July 15. Whether it comes before, during, or after the season, expect a deal to get done at some point. Rice has stated several times that he would like to remain a Raven.

For more analysis of Rice's situation, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice's Franchise Tag From Ravens Should Be Coming Soon

The Baltimore Ravens are widely expected to use the franchise tag on running back Ray Rice, who is an impending free agent. There's no way the Ravens allow him to hit the market so they'll tag him and, according to ESPN, that tag is coming on Friday, which was expected.

Rice will play under the $7.7 million franchise tag tender, which is basically a one-year guaranteed contract. Rice, of course, wants to be paid on a long-term deal. Rumors say he's eyeing a similar deal as the one Adrian Peterson got, which paid him a reported $36 million in guaranteed money.

Another team could step in and try to pry Rice away from the Ravens but signing a franchise tag player requires two first round picks and no one's going to do that.

After the tag is applied, the two sides will have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal. It's something both sides want so I expect it to happen, eventually. It's a good match. Rice is young and deserves to be paid. And the Ravens run a lot of their offense through Rice.

For more on the Ravens and Ray Rice's situation, check out SB Nation's Ravens blog, Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice's Franchise Tag Reportedly Coming On Friday

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is coming off another Pro Bowl season and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on March 13, but the Ravens plan to apply the franchise tag to their star running back on Friday, a report by the Carroll County Times states.

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to designate Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice as their franchise player on Friday. The NFL deadline to use the tag is March 5. Rice has been expecting to receive a $7.7 million franchise tag, and now the Times has learned it's about to happen.

Even though Rice will be tagged, the Ravens still have until July 15 to work out a longterm deal to remove the franchise tag from the running back. Luckily for Rice, the Ravens had a good history of working out longterm deals after franchising a player prior to the start of the season.

For more analysis of Rice's situation, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice Reportedly Wants Adrian Peterson Money

The Baltimore Ravens may be forced to place the franchise tag on free agent running back Ray Rice, which could pay the Pro Bowler close to $7.7 million guaranteed for the season. It might be tough for the two sides to come to a long term deal however, according to a report by Peter King of Sports Illustrated.

I'm hearing Rice wants an Adrian Peterson-type of contract; Peterson signed a seven-year deal worth up to $100 million last September, with the major provision that he'll make $40 million in the first three years. I don't see the Ravens doing that for Rice.

Rice has been playing on his rookie contract, making him a bargain for the Ravens the past three seasons. It's unlikely the Ravens will pay Rice that kind of money, so it's looking even more likely that Rice will be hit with the franchise tag. Another contract that could be used as a basis for Rice's deal could be that of Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson. Johnson signed a six-year $55 million contract with $30 million guaranteed with a $20 million signing bonus last season.

For more analysis of Rice's situation, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Ravens' Ray Rice Likely To Get Franchise Tag

Baltimore Ravens star running back Ray Rice is scheduled to hit free agency as an unrestricted free agent in the 2012 offseason, but it's likely the Pro Bowl running back is hit with the franchise tag, according to a report by The Baltimore Sun.

If an agreement isn't reached by the March 5 deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag -- and it would be somewhat surprising if there was a deal in place by then given the expected amount of money involved -- the Ravens have indicated that they will use the tag to keep Rice under contract for 2012.

If the Ravens decide to apply the franchise tag to Rice, he'll be paid roughly $7.7 million guaranteed for 2012 under the franchise tender. Rice is coming off his best season in the NFL and his third consecutive season rushing for more than 1,000 yards. Rice finished up 2011 with 1,364 rushing yards with 12 rushing touchdowns and 704 receiving yards with three receiving touchdowns, all career bests. The running back out of Rutgers has been a vital piece of the Ravens' success the past three seasons and is a priority for the Ravens to keep.

For more analysis of Rice's situation, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice, Ravens Have Work To Do On Long-Term Contract

The biggest offseason item on the Baltimore Ravens' to-do list is getting running back Ray Rice re-signed. From the sound of it, they've still got a bit of work to do on that front. The two sides have made no progress on agreeing to a deal for the now out-of-contract Rice, according to a report in Pro Football Talk.

That news seems to mean Rice could be heading toward the dreaded Franchise Tag. That would mean that a team signing Rice would have to send a first-round pick to the Ravens if they signed him.

For a player of Rice's pedigree, that hardly seems like a high price. Rice, 25, is coming off a career year in which he rushed for 1,364 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. He also had a career high 704 yards receiving and made 76 catches. He's now rushed for at least 1,200 yards, scored at least six touchdowns, made at least 60 catches and racked up 500 yards receiving for three straight seasons.

For more analysis of Rice's situation, be sure to check out Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Ray Rice, Ravens Expected To Start Talking Contract

The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for next season and one of their pressing concerns is signing running back Ray Rice to an extension.