The Ravens will not pick up the fifth-year option for safety Matt Elam, according to ESPN and The Baltimore Sun.
Baltimore's first-round pick of the 2013 NFL Draft was the No. 32 overall selection, and he is coming off a torn biceps that cost him all of last season.
Elam is still signed through the upcoming season, but the one-year option was for the 2017 season. All first-round picks initially have four-year contracts with a team option for the fifth year. If the Ravens had picked up the option, they would have paid him around $5.5 million in 2017.
Elam's career has been up-and-down to this point. He earned a starting job one game into his rookie season, but ultimately lost that job the next season. He has 127 career tackles, one interception and a forced fumble.Â
The Ravens had hopes for Elam to bounce back last season, but he tore his biceps early in training camp and missed the rest of the year. Elam is now entering the final year of his contract and he will compete for a spot along with several other safeties on the roster like Terrence Brooks, Kendrick Lewis and Anthony Levine.
