Ravens News 1/9: Flacco’s exit, Comp picks and more

In classy exit, Joe Flacco provides smooth handoff to Lamar Jackson - Jamison Hensley

On Dec. 12, Flacco complimented Jackson moments after he was officially demoted, swallowing his competitive spirit in the best interest of the team. After Sunday’s 23-17 wild-card loss to the Chargers, Flacco shut down a question on whether he could’ve made a difference if he had replaced a struggling Jackson.

”No, no, you can’t even go there, man,” Flacco said in what will likely be his final comments as a part of the Ravens. “I thought Lamar did a great job of just hanging in there and giving us a chance at the end.”

Wasn’t it frustrating for Flacco to be a bystander Sunday?

“It really wasn’t,” Flacco said. “We made the decision what was going to happen here weeks ago. I really wanted to see the guys turn it up a little bit and make a play, which they did.”

“Joe is going to have a market,” Harbaugh said. “A lot of teams are going to want Joe, because they understand that. I’ll be in Joe’s corner, wherever he’s at, unless we play him. He’s special. Joe Flacco is a great talent. He’s an even better person. He’s the best quarterback in the history of the Ravens, without question. That’s not even because I’m biased -- it’s just a fact. Yes, he’s going to be just fine.”

A class act until the end. Joe Flacco should be remembered as quarterback who played his best ball in rivalry games and the playoffs.

Ravens gearing up for fast-paced offseason, starting with negotiating a deal with John Harbaugh - Mike Preston

The Ravens have 20 players who will become free agents, 10 of them unrestricted. Top names include linebackers C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith, wide receiver John Brown and defensive end Brent Urban.

The Ravens will put a full-court press on Mosley, one of the top linebackers in the league. He will command top dollar, and Smith will also draw a lot of attention because of his ability to rush the passer.

Ideally, the Ravens would like to sign a big-name free-agent receiver, but that might be hard with Jackson’s reputation as an option quarterback and the offense that was built around him in 2018.

A better route might be through the draft. Other top needs include a free safety, guards, a fast and shifty running back, and outside linebackers, especially if second-year players such as Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams continue to struggle.

Spotrac estimates C.J. Mosley’s market value at $9.7 million per season on a five-year deal and John Brown’s market value at $6.1 million annually.

Projecting The 2019 Compensatory Picks - Nick Korte

Players On The Cutoff Bubbles

While it is my hope that my projection of where the cutoffs lie is correct, there is enough of a margin of error that the players that are very close to them may fall on the opposite side of where I have them projected. In most cases, if I’m wrong it means that the team in question will still get a comp pick for that player, but that it may be in a round higher or lower.

3rd/4th

Ryan Jensen (Baltimore): #71

Possible Altering Scenarios

Baltimore

If the entirety of Mike Wallace’s contract is counted, Baltimore could get a 7th for Ben Watson that would likely be the Mr. Irrelevant pick.

If Mike Wallace’s signing bonus is counted, Baltimore will be eligible for a 7th for him, but it would be unlikely to make the 32-pick limit.

Pending compensatory picks, the Ravens own the 22nd, 86th 117th, 150th, 179th and 181st slots in the 2019 NFL draft.