Another day, another news item regarding a franchise player who won’t be attending his team’s offseason workouts without a contract.
Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports that running back Ray Rice, who has received but not yet accepted the franchise tender, won’t be there when the program opens on Monday.
As explained on Friday, Rice and any/every other franchise player may attend offseason workouts without a contract. Few ever do, although Titans safety Michael Griffin will.
In February, coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence that Rice won’t hold out.
“I would be surprised, just knowing Ray and I know how much he loves football,” Harbaugh said. “I think he understands there’s not leverage to be gained by doing that.
“Guys who’ve done that haven’t come out and played well. That would never be the way to get a contract here. That’s not how the Ravens have operated.”
For now, Rice won’t be missing much. The first several weeks of offseason workouts feature guys working on their biceps. Eventually, practice begins in T-shirts and shorts.
During a January appearance on PFT Live, Rice guaranteed he’d be with the Ravens in 2012. “If the franchise tag happens, it happens,” Rice said at the time. “Not the worst thing in the world. It’s definitely a lot more than I’ll ever have.”
It may be a lot more than he’ll ever have, but he’s still trying to have more.