The clock is ticking on the Ravens to work out a new deal with running back Justin Forsett before he hits the open market.
Both sides have said they want Forsett to stay in Baltimore, but there is uncertainty as the 29-year old running back is about to enter free agency without a new contract.
"I'm just looking for somebody to commit," Forsett said Tuesday morning during an interview with NFL Network. "It doesn't matter where I go. I just want to play football. That's it."
Coming back to the Ravens would give Forsett a chance to build off the best season of his career with the team that gave him an opportunity to be a featured back. Forsett admitted that there is some unfished business for him in Baltimore after the Ravens came so close to knocking off the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.
"That taste is still bitter in my mouth. I still want to go back and replay those plays and those mistakes that we made, and wish things could be different," Forsett said. "That's why an opportunity to come back to the Ravens would be interesting to me, and trying to get back to a championship."
Forsett is expected to have several other suitors on the open market, including the Redskins, Colts and Falcons. There is also a natural connection to the Denver Broncos, where former Ravens Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak is now the head coach. Kubiak also coached Forsett in Houston and helped bring him to Baltimore.
Despite that history with Kubiak, Forsett indicated that he's likely not joining his former coach in Denver.
"They're kind of loaded at running back right now, so I don't know how open of an opportunity that is," Forsett said.
The 2014 season was Forsett's best year by a long shot. He made the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns, and he led NFL running backs with a 5.4 yards per carry average.
It was the first time that Forsett was a workhouse running back, as he started twice as many games in 2014 as he did in the first six years of his career. Forsett stressed that he has plenty of good years ahead of him because he didn't take the wear and tear like most running backs early in his career.
"I'm 29 years old, but my legs are 26," he said. "Throughout my career, I've been in the shadows and I've been working. First they told me I could only be a special-teams guy. Then they told me I could only be a third-down back, a change-of-pace back. Then I was able to show last year that I could be an every down back, and now they say I'm too old. What's been consistent is that I've been able to overcome the odds."
The Ravens have already lost wide receiver Torrey Smith and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee leading into free agency, and Forsett's departure could be a significant blow. Running backs usually don't get the huge contracts compared to other positions around the league, but Forsett is confident that he can be a difference maker wherever he goes.
"You think about what makes a good running back – patience, elusiveness, toughness, being able to block, being able to catch – I can do all of those things," Forsett said. "I go out there and I can make an impact inside the locker room and on the field."
