Bryant McKinnie said he never wanted to leave the Ravens.
But he obviously had to flirt with the Dolphins and Chargers to get their attention.
“I’m excited to be back,” McKinnie told Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “I didn’t really want to leave anyway. I like being in Baltimore. . . .
“It was definitely like recruiting, like college again. It was nice, I got to meet some people, but I ended up back here. I’m still in Baltimore and that’s a great thing.”
He signed a two-year deal worth up to $7 million, which prevents them from having to relocate Michael Oher from right tackle, or move left guard Kelechi Osemele from left guard. That was the set-up during the playoffs, which helped propel the Ravens to a title.
“Yep, that’s what I want to do,” McKinnie said. “I want to pick up from there. I feel like we have a chance for a great year with me and K.O. on the left side.”
He still has to prove himself fit enough to start 16 games, which wasn’t always the case before. But there’s no doubt in a free agent market full of right tackles, that he still had significant value, to the Ravens and others.