Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco looking for long-term contract

It looks like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco made a good decision to postpone talk of a new contract until the NFL season came to an end. With the Ravens edging the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 and Flacco being named the game’s MVP, he’s definitely got a lot more bargaining power now.

Flacco was superb in the showdown with san Francisco by passing for 287 yards and going 22 for 33. He threw three touchdown passes in the first half and proved he’s one of the best at his position in the league.

He became just the sixth quarterback in history to complete three touchdown passes in the first half of a Super Bowl and could now cash in on his performance.

During the postseason he threw for 11 touchdowns to equal an NFL record and wasn’t intercepted once. He gained 1,140 yards for the Ravens and went 73 for 126 in their playoff run. He also beat Tom Brady and Peyton Manning when they went head to head on the road against New England and Denver and also bettered top draft pick Andrew Luck in a home win over Indianapolis.

 Flacco, who’s been in the league for five years now, wasn’t as spectacular in the regular season though. His passer rating was just 87.7, which was 12th in the 32-team league and quite a distance behind Aaron Rodgers who ranked first at 108.0. Flacco threw for 22 touchdowns during the regular season as well as 10 interceptions, which ranked him in mid table. However, when the stakes got higher in the playoffs he rose to the challenge. His overall postseason record now stands at 9-4 and has won at least one playoff game in each of his five seasons.

The quarterback’s contract is expired now and he could be in for a huge raise in pay. Some experts feel he could land a deal worth about $20 million per season. Flacco said he feels he can come to an agreement with the Ravens even though he’s eligible to test the free agency waters. But even if he doesn’t come to an a long-term agreement with the team, the club may designate him as their franchise player.

Flacco said Baltimore’s a great franchise and city, but you just never know how contract negotiations may turn out. He said crazy things have happened in the past, but he has a feeling that there won’t be any major problems in signing a new deal. That may not be exactly true though since Flacco could be looking for a contract  that will see him earn more than Peyton Manning and would come close to the $20 million a year that Drew Brees makes.

If Baltimore designated Flacco as the team’s non-exclusive franchise player it would cost them in the region of about $14.6 million a season.  The club could also designate him as  the exclusive franchise player for approximately $20 million. Whatever happens with the 28-year-old, whether he re-signs with the Ravens or ends up somewhere else as a free agent, his playoff work is bound to see him land a pretty large contract.

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