Money

???

I don't understand what you are saying here. A. Both sides have said they were committed to get deal done. Monroe was never really available to anyone else. As far as where he ranked in this year's group...he was the clear #1. Just a few examples of rankings: http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2014OT.php http://nfltraderumors.co/2014-nfl-free-agents/ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000329702/article/top-101-nfl-free-agents-for-2014 http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/05/the-free-agent-hot-100-3/ B. All 4 of those guys are now in the top 10 LTs in guaranteed money. That is where the inflation was.

Albert (2nd), Saffold(5th), Monroe (7th) and Veldheer (10th) all place in top 10 LTs with guaranteed money.

Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 2m Eugene Monroe: 'The tradition here is winning football. I'm confident that's going to continue.'

Look at these quotes from Monroe. He's a class act: Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 2m Eugene Monroe: 'I'm definitely appreciative for the Ravens having faith in my ability to play at a high level.' Expand Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 3m Eugene Monroe 'I talked to Ozzie Newsome frequently through the year. He said, 'We'll make sure it works and be a great deal for both sides' Expand Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 4m Eugene Monroe:'It's a win all-around in every aspect for me, proximity to my family in New Jersey and my wife and her side of the family.' Expand Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 8m Eugene Monroe told me: 'It's a great deal for both sides. I'm excited, man. I was confident it would work out. I was never concerned.'

His guaranteed money is definitely in line with what I thought. With Clady's deal last year (5yrs / $52.5mil) only $15mil was guaranteed. Monroe got $19mil guaranteed (slightly more than half the contract). I am 100% confident that he will be worth every penny.

I will happily eat crow over how much I thought Monroe would cost. This is an unbelievably good deal. BTW...2014 cap hit is a little over $3mil.

Wrong. Albert has the talent to be the better, all around player but is an underachiever. Albert would be the 3rd coming of Gaither and McKinnie. I am so freakin' done with that kind of player. I'm 100% positive that Ozzie is as well.

It's tough for me to place a dollar amount on what they should pay without any of the other guys at that position being signed. Things are looking positive at the moment. It looks like the Dolphins have their sights set on Albert. They are the team in the LT hunt with the deep pockets. It would really help if they are not in the bidding war for Monroe. I think it's a huge mistake on their part to pick Albert over Monroe, but it wouldn't be that organization's first mistake. It also simply might not be true. It wasn't that long ago that we heard that Monroe was Miami's guy, so who knows what they are really thinking.

I'm tired of that approach with the LT position. I'm tired of the Gaithers, Ohers and McKinnies. All the bitching about those guys over the years (totally justified) and people want the Ravens to try the same approach again and just hope for a different result? Sorry...I'm ready for a different approach, especially with the investment in Joe. There are other positions you go cheap on. RB, WR (except your #1 guy) and RT.

Of course not, but you do need to understand that the landscape has changed. You can't place 2011-2013 player/contract values on 2014 players. Where you slot them doesn't change, but the cost of each slot level has increased. My frustration is with people saying Monroe doesn't deserve top 5 money, when the figures we are talking about isn't top 5 money anymore.

Yet, you think salaries will remain stagnant and you can use contracts of the last couple years to establish a player's worth in the current market?

The whole point of raising the salary cap is to share the revenue with the players. With the raise of the salary cap comes increased salaries (across the board). Saying Monroe doesn't deserve $11 million a year because he isn't a top 5 LT is flawed thinking with the cap increases. $11 million a year will no longer touch a top 5 LT in the league. All this being said, maybe Kubiak simply doesn't want Monroe. Monroe was brought in here with the intention of filling the LT hole for the foreseeable future, but that was before Kubiak was in the picture. Maybe Kubiak doesn't place an importance on LT. I'm fine if this is the case, but that isn't about money. That is about offensive philosophy. Robjr...if they sign Monroe for $12-13 million a year, it does not mean their cap hit will be $12-13 million. They signed Joe for $120 million and his cap hit was $6 million or so last year. They just signed Pitta for $6.5 million a year and his cap hit this year is a little over $3 million. Your scenario would be correct if his money is 100% guaranteed or if they choose to make the contract extremely front-heavy.

BTW...whether he's signed by us or another team...people are going to flip out when they see how much Oher makes.

People are throwing out the word "overpay" left and right, but I don't know what this is based on. If it's based on contracts that were signed during the last couple of years when the cap has been stagnant, it's based on outdated information. $320 million of extra money to spend in free agency this year. Even the most conservative estimates of the cap increases in 2015 and 2016 have close to another $1 billion being added to the pool. Salaries across the board will be going up and going up significantly. These are new rules. If Ozzie is still playing by the old rules, we will be left behind. As overpaid as some people feel Pitta was...he only counts a little over $3 million this year. The Ravens have $25 million in available cap space right now. Where do people think we should be spending this money if not at LT. Besides that...Veldheer was offered $11 million per year. Albert is looking for between $11-12 million per year. Where's the bargain? Miami isn't the only team desperate for a LT. Arizona and Carolina are as well. Oakland will be too if Veldheer doesn't accept their offer. Think about that...Veldheer was offered $11 million per year and he hasn't even accepted the offer yet.

The Ravens had little problems as well when they picked Ogden with the 4th overall pick. How often have they had a top 5 pick? They certainly have made some very good picks with the other OL positions.

I want him signed for top 8-10 LT money. Where we are on a different page, is what that money looks like. I believe the picture has changed significantly. We are dangerously close to re-signing Oher (at a contract most people will gasp at) to be our LT next year.

The people making these projections know what they are talking about. I don't know the in's and out's, but it all revolves around the new TV deals that kick in this year. It was always predicted that the cap would remain stagnant for a couple years before seeing significant increases. They aren't just throwing darts while blindfolded. These increases will happen.

BTW...they are now projecting even higher numbers for 2015 ($145mil) and 2016 ($160mil). http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/07/cap-could-hit-160-million-in-2016/

Sure he's cheap. You are also asking a rookie (who isn't even one of the top rookies) to protect your franchise QB, who you recently placed a significant investment in. This doesn't worry you at all? You have no concern that a rookie might end up being in over his head at THE most important position on the line?

I'm not entirely convinced...though Evans' combine performance certainly was the beginning of my dream fading. My hope was that with this draft being so WR deep, teams might choose to address other needs (at positions not near as draft deep) and pass on WR in the 1st. There are still a few mocks that have Evans slipping to our pick. May is still a long way off. Things are always changing. Monroe is going to get a lot of money. I think the LT market and raises in the salary cap over the next couple of years will make his deal look pretty darn good in 2016. He certainly won't be considered "overpaid" in a couple of years.

Miami has made it clear that Monroe is their guy. They will outbid the Ravens. This is exactly why I wanted him tagged. LT was been a revolving door and huge problem for us since Ogden. Monroe was our chance to gain some stability at the position and we blew it in my mind. Monroe may not be an "elite" LT, but he's definitely top 10 (and still has some of his best years ahead of him). He is very dependable and a high character individual. The Ravens never draft high enough to take care of the LT position through the draft. I thought the trade was brilliant when they got Monroe, but now it seems like a waste. If they go through FA, they will "overpay" for someone. Maybe they pay a little less for Albert and a little less than that for Collins, but you get what you pay for. Albert can't stay on the field and Collins has been a backup for most of his career. My prediction? They sign a veteran RT (Winston/Strief) and veteran C through free agency. They bring back Oher as the LT and Zach Martin now becomes target #1 in the 1st round of the draft. My dream of a Flacco to Mike Evans connection keeps fading more and more.

Well...sources are reporting that Oakland offered Veldheer 5 years for $55 million. $23 million guaranteed. He's apparently taking the weekend to think about it. If this is indeed correct, does anyone want to take a guess at the starting point for Monroe? Does anyone think he'll be happy with 6 years for $52 million?

Don't agree here. That's like saying we didn't win enough with Daryl Smith so we shouldn't pay what it's going to take to bring him back. Monroe was far and away our best OL'man. He's better than anything else out there. Albert and Veldheer could very well get around $9m per year themselves. It's fine if you don't want to pay that, but what is your plan? Is it to give away the farm to move up and get one of the studs in the draft? Is it Oher? Is it Mckinnie? Like I said before, some people need to re-calibrate their "overpaid" meter. $320 million just got dumped into the pool. An additional $545 million will be dumped in by 2016.

I didn't like it either. I think it was a knee jerk reaction to the perceived backlash for parting with "fan favorite" Boldin. Coming off an 8-8 season with no playoffs...they didn't want to part ways with another "fan favorite". I wished they chose differently. I now hope Suggs proves me very wrong.