Flacco's Low 2013 Cap Hit Opens Doors For Ravens

Now, I'm not a "Cap-ologist" or even someone well versed about the Ravens current cap situation but I do know that some how Joe Flacco's new contract left us with somewhere around a seven million dollar cap hit from the new highest payed quarterback in the NFL.

After some media pundits and fans alike were expecting a possible exclusive franchise tag of around 20 million or a non-exclusive tag of around 14 million. Heck even the optimists that were sure a deal would be reached before the franchise tag need be applied still expected a hit of around 10-12 million after the contract was in place.

Well, seems as if, as usual with all things Ravens, everyone was wrong again. With Flacco making a huge, blockbuster deal and becoming, in theory until Monday, the highest paid player in the game with a six year 120 million dollar plus deal of which 60 million is guaranteed, the team still found a way to keep him at a low cap number over the next season or two so they can survive another player purge for the moment.

We already know that Ray Lewis and Matt Birk are retiring so we are saving at least 5-6 million more from them. So, hopefully the team is sitting pretty and ready to spend this newly acquired fortune. Their next main priority should be Dannell Ellerbe considering he is a beast and they are thin at inside linebacker. Ed Reed sticking around for another season or two has just become much more a possibility. Heck the Ravens might even be able to take a stab at signing another one of their own players or bringing in some free agent talent.

The Baltimore Ravens still might need to tweak a few things with the contracts of Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones in hopes that they could be released and re-sign with the team under more "cap-friendly" deals but at least now they have the option of keeping one or both of them if neither of the two will work with them.

Paul Kruger and Cary Williams will most likely still be gone as Kruger is rumored to be looking for somewhere around 10 million a year and Williams wants to be paid as a number one corner which he is not and the Ravens have already paid Lardarius Webb for that. I could be wrong but at least the team has some room to work with this season so, if they don't strike it rich in the draft with young talent at all the positions they need, they can still search the free agent market for guys who have not gotten the contracts they had hoped.. Players that would welcome the idea of coming to the reigning world champions for a bit less money than they were hoping.

How do you think the Ravens will "attack" the rest of their off season now that the Flacco deal has been agreed upon?