Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made former New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks the highest paid guard in the NFL, former Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Grubbs has just figured out where the line has been set. Nicks' deal with the Bucs is five years and $47.5 million, or $9.5 million a year, according to ProFootballTalk.com. That is close to $2 million a season more than the Ravens paid to extend right guard Marshal Yanda last year.
This almost ensures that Grubbs will not be retained by the Ravens as there is little chance that the team would invest$18 million a season in their two guards. Grubbs is reportedly visiting with the Saints, who would hope to replace one top-notch guard with another.
With huge boatloads of cash being thrown around in these first two days of free agency, it appears the Ravens are more than satisfied with sitting back and watching the rest of the league use up their cap space and clear up the team's needs to graze through the scrap heap of what remains in free agency before settling on a clearer draft strategy.