ExtremeRavens Posted March 31 Posted March 31 PALM BEACH, Fla. — The skies above The Breakers hotel were stormy on Sunday afternoon, perhaps a fitting backdrop for the dark cloud that continues to loom over the Ravens amid voluminous sexual misconduct allegations against the team’s longest-tenured player, kicker Justin Tucker. Team president Sashi Brown spoke with Baltimore reporters for about 30 minutes, with questions about Tucker occupying nearly a third of the conversation. But there were several other topics that he also addressed, from the possibility of the draft coming to Baltimore to the Ravens playing on Christmas for a third straight year to ticket prices and more. Here’s what he had to say about the five most compelling topics: When will the NFL draft be coming to Baltimore? Last year, Brown acknowledged that the Ravens had begun talks with the NFL about bringing the draft to Baltimore. It also might be a while before that happens. This year, the draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Next year, Pittsburgh will host it. And in 2027, Washington and Denver are among the cities that have expressed interest. Given that schedule — particularly if Washington lands it in two years — it could be several years before Baltimore gets its turn. The Ravens are also renovating their stadium for the next two years, which plays into the equation, as does having enough hotel rooms and other amenities similar to what Super Bowl cities have. Still, the Ravens figure to get their turn at some point for what has become a tentpole event for the league. “The process is, ‘Let us know if you’re interested, gives us some preliminary information’ and the league, similar to how they select Super Bowl sites, will go through months, yearslong processes,” Brown said. “It’s kind of always on a rolling basis. We’re very interested in trying to convince the league that Baltimore is going to be the best site for the draft of all-time. We’re working with the folks at the city of Baltimore and the state … but we’re a ways away before the league makes any decisions on that. It’s just on us to convince them that our city is going to the right site. We’re excited to see what happens in Green Bay. Detroit [last year] was a great experience, Las Vegas before that, and we’ve got some great plans that we plan to present to the league and hopefully convince them to bring it to Baltimore in the next few years.” Will the Ravens play on Christmas for a third straight year? “There’s been a few conversations between us and the league, starting with when the schedule came out last year,” Brown said. “We hope they spread the joy of playing on Christmas on the road to some of our brethren around the league.” One doesn’t have to squint too much to read between the lines that it seems unlikely the NFL would have Baltimore play an away game on Christmas — which falls on a Thursday this year — for a third straight season. It has worked out well for the Ravens, however, as they blew out the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night in 2023 and followed that up with a rout of the Houston Texans last year. The league has made it clear, however, that it likes having teams play games on Christmas. Will Baltimore play an international game? Two years ago, the Ravens traveled to London to play the Tennessee Titans, marking their first trip overseas in seven years. Could they return in 2025? Three teams on Baltimore’s schedule — the Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins — are slated to host international games this season. But the NFL typically does not tab division games for international play because it would take a home game away from a rivalry game, so that likely eliminates Pittsburgh, which will host a game in Ireland, and Cleveland, which will play in London. That leaves the Dolphins, who have been announced as the host team for a game in Spain. But with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson being from South Florida, that is an appealing matchup for a night game in the U.S. “We have talked to the league,” Brown said about the league’s International Series. “We also know there’s a large demand for the Ravens, generally, and Lamar and the growth internationally is something that we embrace fully.” As for the Ravens hosting an international game, that is also unlikely because the NFL likes to allow teams renovating their stadiums, as Baltimore is for the next two years, to complete those projects before taking a home game away from them. Ravens president Sashi Brown said that, like last year, there will be no hike in ticket prices this season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Will ticket prices increase again this year? Brown said that, like last year, there will be no hike in ticket prices this season. “We’ve historically had a sequence in terms of ticket prices where we’re off and on,” he said. “It provides some certainty to the fans, so they’re not wondering how much every year my prices are going to go up. It does put a little more pressure on us to keep up with the rest of the league. … We do explore that every year because there are others that feel like it’s easier to have a bit less of a step every year, rather than one larger step every other year.” Are the Ravens making any uniform changes this year? In short, no. To swap out any part of our closet,” Brown said, “we’d [have to] know well in advance.” The Ravens do plan to bring back the “Purple Rising” look they debuted last season, though, which included a new purple helmet along with purple jerseys and pants. Said Brown: ”Players were excited about them, fans loved it and we won, which also matters when you roll these things out.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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