The Effect Of Flacco's Upcoming Contract Negotiations

With the off-season coming up soon there are plenty of impending free-agents who will be looking to sign with the best possible suitor. The general concept of free-agency is that a player is looking to move to a team that gives him the best chance at winning a ring and/or offers him the best contract.

With the Ravens coming fresh off of a Super Bowl victory, they appear to be a logical option for any big-name free-agents looking to win a ring. However, with Joe Flacco's big pay-day coming soon (along with the upcoming exodus of salary-cap causalities), the Ravens are stuck in a sticky predicament where they don't quite know how much money they can spend until he is locked-up.

As we have all probably learned over the last five years or so it can be a long, drawn-out process to re-sign a franchise quarterback (see Drew Brees). It's a process that can last to the wee hours of the off-season and can hinder the possibility of making a move towards other free-agents. If the Baltimore Ravens are even remotely interested in say a Jake Long or a Charles Woodson then they need to get a deal hammered out with Flacco as soon as possible.

On that note, however, I think that after locking up Flacco and retaining as many upcoming UFAs as possible the Baltimore Ravens will not have the necessary resources to pursue any top-tier players. Drooling over the possibility of big-name free agents? Grab a napkin and dry your mouth, because nothing will be done until Joe Flacco is re-signed.