Could Ravens Still Sign Anquan Boldin? What About Mangold?
The Ravens signed wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and Owner Steve Bisciotti said if he has "one bullet left" in free agency, he better save it for an offensive lineman.
Yet the question persists. Could the Ravens still sign Anquan Boldin?
(If you haven't gathered by now, this town is still in love with Boldin after what he did to help the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII).
"As long as Boldin remains available and intent on returning for his 15th NFL season, the Ravens are going to be mentioned as a potential suitor," The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec wrote.
"At this point, though, the Ravens are content with what they have at wide receiver."
As Zrebiec states, the Ravens want to give Breshad Perriman a lot of snaps and want opportunities for No. 4 wide receiver Chris Moore, who is entering his second season.
Boldin is reportedly content to wait until late July to sign with any team and is "eyeing a situation closer to his South Florida home." Yet …
"Knowing how much the Ravens like and respect Boldin, it would be foolish to completely rule them out," Zrebiec wrote. "If Boldin still is unsigned a couple of weeks into camp and the Ravens don't like what they're seeing from their young receivers or they sustain an injury at the position, a reunion would be more likely."
Zrebiec continued: "As of now, it doesn't appear to be high on general manager Ozzie Newsome's agenda."
Then there's Mangold, who Ravens fans have been chattering about since the veteran Pro Bowler visited Baltimore in early April.
The Ravens wanted to get to know Mangold better and presumably get a better gauge on his health after he missed much of last year with an ankle injury. Mangold acknowledged earlier this offseason that he was still recovering.
"Both sides vowed to stay in contact, but there's been no evidence that the sides have moved any closer to a deal," Zrebiec wrote. "Given the state of offensive line play in the league, it's surprising that Mangold remains a free agent. However, it's probably telling as well."
Zrebiec wrote that Mangold's asking price "is said to be extremely high" with the 33-year-old reportedly wanting to be paid top-10 center money.
"That would mean a deal worth around $6 million a year," Zrebiec wrote. "If that's the asking price, you can probably rule the Ravens out."
In terms of other free-agent offensive linemen who could be upgrades for the Ravens, Zrebiec points to Ryan Clady, who would have to switch from left tackle to right, Orlando Franklin, who played guard the past three seasons, and Austin Pasztor, who started 16 games for the Browns last year at right tackle but "wouldn't be considered a significant upgrade."
Ravens Ranked 12th-Most Popular NFL Team
If the NFL were just a popularity contest, the Ravens would be top dog amongst their rivals, according to 247wallst.com.
The financial news website ranked the Ravens 12th among the 32 NFL teams in popularity, which is taken from attendance data via ESPN. The website ranked teams in order of what percentage of the stadium they filled.
The website says the Ravens filled M&T Bank Stadium at 100.1 percent capacity last season with an average home attendance of 71,102 fans.
"From 2008 through 2012, the Ravens won at least one playoff round, culminating in winning Super Bowl XLVII," wrote Michael B. Sauter and Samuel Stebbins. "Since then, the team has only returned to the postseason once, but still managed to keep M&T Bank Stadium packed during the regular season."
The Patriots, meanwhile, came in at No. 17 with 97.2 percent capacity of their stadium filled (66,829 average home attendance in 2016). The Steelers came in at No. 14 with a 98.9 percent capacity fill rate and average home attendance of 64,312.
By the way, the average ticket price for a Patriots game, which is based on the secondary market and provided by TicketIQ data, is $670. For the Steelers, it's $311. The Ravens come in at $198.
The most popular team in the NFL is the Dallas Cowboys, who fill AT&T Stadium at 115.7 percent capacity with an average home attendance of a whopping 92,539 last season. Their average ticket price was $364.
Boykin Confident He Can Get Back to 2013 Level
The addition of Brandon Boykin was overshadowed by Maclin's signing, but it could be a very big one for Baltimore.
As of now, it appears that Maurice Canady has the inside track at the starting slot position after Tavon Young went down with a season-ending ACL injury, but if Boykin is right about his season, he could eventually take the spot.
Boykin joined Glenn Clark Radio Tuesday to talk about how things have gone so far in his transition to Baltimore after signing on June 5.
Boykin is coming off a lost season with the Chicago Bears due to a torn pectoral, but he was back on the field during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and minicamp, and he's looking to find a major role in a star-studded secondary.
"That was the first time in my career dating back to high school that I missed a game, let alone a full season," Boykin said. "Having that time off really allowed me to refresh mentally. … I know without a doubt this will be a great year for me."
In 2013, Boykin starred in the slot for the Philadelphia Eagles. He made 47 tackles, knocked away 16 passes and made six interceptions (one returned for a touchdown).
"I'm extremely fired up for this season," Boykin said. "I know for a fact that with that with that time off, I've gotten bigger, faster, stronger, and I'll get back to playing at my highest level like I did in 2013. That's definitely what I'm gunning for."
Weddle Congratulates Carr on Big Contract
The Oakland Raiders made quarterback Derek Carr the highest-paid player in the league Thursday with a five-year, $125 million contract with $40 million guaranteed, per multiple reports.
Carr is now the NFL's first player to average $25 million per year.
Soon after the deal was official, Ravens safety Eric Weddle (a former AFC West rival of Carr's) tweeted at the new millionaire.
Carr's contract now makes Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco the sixth-highest paid player in the league in terms of average salary per year.
Flacco's $22,133,333 trails Carr, the Colts' Andrew Luck ($24,594,000), Cardinals' Carson Palmer ($24,350,000), Saints' Drew Brees ($24,250,000) and Redskins' Kirk Cousins ($23,943,600).
Two Deaths in the Ravens/Colts Family
Frank Kush, the last head coach of the Baltimore Colts in 1982 and 1983, passed away yesterday, according to the Associated Press. He was 88.
Kush was most known for building Arizona State into a national football powerhouse, compiling a 176-54-1 record while coaching the Sun Devils from 1958 to 1979.
Kush followed the Colts to Indianapolis after the team's move. During his three years wearing the horseshoe, he had an 11-28-1 record.
The Ravens have also lost another member of their extended family as linebacker Ryan Jones was shot and killed Sunday evening in Reno, Nev., according to USA Today.
After Jones had a strong pro day, the Ravens added him as an undrafted rookie in 2014, making him the first Montana Tech player to sign an NFL contract.
Baltimore waived him a month after signing him (injury settlement), and in 2015 he signed with the New York Giants before again being waived with an injury settlement two months later.
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