Ravens may tell Ngata to take a pay cut if he wants to stay

AP

Haloti Ngata is 31 years old and due an $8.5 million base salary in 2015, and the combination of those two facts is leading to questions in Baltimore about whether Ngata will remain with the Ravens.

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Ravens want to negotiate a new contract with Ngata, and that if they can’t get that done, Ngata will have to find another place to finish his career.

That news doesn’t come as a big surprise. The Ravens’ website noted in December that there’s no guarantee Ngata will be back in 2015, and that the Ravens might cut him this offseason.

Ngata has been a good player in Baltimore for nine years, and it would be nice to think that he could finish his career with the Ravens. But the business of the NFL is such that when players get on the wrong side of 30, teams lose any sense of loyalty. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Ravens decide that Ngata is too expensive, and to send him packing.

90 responses to “Ravens may tell Ngata to take a pay cut if he wants to stay

  1. He Is such a big difference maker. The Ravens defense was a shell of itself when he was suspended for those 4 games . I’m sure the entire AFCN hopes that he walks

  2. One of the best DT’s in the game…his 4 game suspension hurt his stock although….come back to Cali

  3. As a long-time Steeler fan, Ngata is a heck of a lot more than just “good.” Seriously. Haloti is one hell of a player — a real BIG-time difference-maker out there!

  4. Can’t wait for the raven’s trolls spin on this. It should be faster than the metro turn style at rush hour. Don’t turn your back Haloti unless you are wearing a bullet proof vest.

  5. The Hawks 23-26 million in cap space (depending on what the final number is) is going to be chewed up with signing Russell, Lynch, Wags, Maxwell and draft picks, but good god Haloti would look good in between Bennett and Avril! 🙂

  6. 92 is king Kong in pads 4 or 5 snaps a game…..but he also takes plenty of snaps off.

    Certainly great, and will be missed, but Brandon Williams was arguably the more consistent preformer last season.
    There is no way the Ravens can allow him to stay on at his current pay rate.

    We’ll see how much 92 really wants to win in the coming weeks.

  7. Ravens are foolish if they let him go.

    If they do, I’m sure the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Steelers, Bengals, Browns, Titans, Jags, Colts, Raiders, Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Falons, Saints, Bears, Vikings, Packers,Redskins, Giants,& Cowboys would give him a offer the day after the Ravens cut him.

    Only the Texans,Panthers, Bucs,Lions & Eagles would’nt need him.

  8. Great. Another article about a cheating PED user.

    1 2
    Report comment

    I guess as a Pats fan you would be an excellent identifier of cheating after your last ten years of watching the Pats.

  9. He Is such a big difference maker. The Ravens defense was a shell of itself when he was suspended for those 4 games . I’m sure the entire AFCN hopes that he walks

    —————————————————–

    The Ravens were 3-1 during Ngata’s suspension and Timmy Jernigan stepped in and did a helluva job in his absence. I would hate to see Ngata go, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s cut. The Ravens have no cap space and negotiating Ngata’s and Webb’s contract will free up some money.

  10. Ravens are honoring his contract even if they cut him. It’s in the contract that they have the right to do that. Both sides know this. That’s how the nflpa negotiated.

    If teams had to pay players without the option to cut then contracts would be shorter. And there wouldn’t be as much money as they’d be on the hook for player salaries after they no longer were playing. Ie ngata wouldn’t have able to sign such a big contract in the first place.

  11. Nofoolnodrool says: Feb 7, 2015 1:04 PM

    Great. Another article about a cheating PED user.

    I guess as a Pats fan you would be an excellent identifier of cheating after your last ten years of watching the Pats.
    ———————————————————–
    It wasn’t really hard to identify – he was caught, he admitted it, he apologized to his team and he was suspended for one fourth of a season.

    Heck, even you might have been able to figure this one out.

  12. Hoping my Ravens extend him & he finishes his career here. Great player. Great dude. He needs to retire as a raven. If he moves on…that will suck but it’s the reality of the salary cap NFL era.

    We saw Ed reed in Texans and Jets jerseys. That just looked wrong. Hoping 92 wears purple next year.

  13. As a Ravens fan, this has be talked about for two off-seasons now. Although I fully expect Ngata and the Ravens to work something out, the defense didnt miss beat while Ngata served those four games.

    That being said, that was with McPhee who is a phenomenal player/pass rusher on the DL, and Jernigan (22) playing lights out. We’ll probably have to choose between McPhee (26) and Ngata (31).

    I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision.

  14. this was his lst year in awhile where he was consistent, now we know why.
    def a shell of itself when he was out, really? gave up under 4 yds a carry in those 4 games, sorry.still a good player, but no longer an all pro

  15. Sad to see him go but he’s unfortunately the obvious choice for cap space seeing as how he’s eating up 16 million next season.

    Can’t keep everyone unfortunately and with Jernigan, Williams, Guy, and lewis Moore in the middle the Ravens should be ok.

    Also anyone who wants to blame this on Joe understand that Joe’s due 14 against the cap and Haloti is due 16.

    Seeing as how Hoyer is likely to make 7-9 next season, and Dalton is due 12, I doubt they’ll find anyone of Joe’s caliber for less.

  16. It’s funny how a Pats fan’s sense of humor dwindled since Deflategate. Lighten up Carlos you take yourself and your team much too seriously and look like a petulant 12 year old when confronted with a no response from Mom…..deep breath….relax or it will give you gas. Lol

  17. He could sign with the Packers whose free agent NT Raji was on injured reserved and his back up Guion had a recent arrest.

    Ngata has other options but do the Ravens?

    His agent probably has had at least 10 teams say if he gets cut give us a call. Some of them are contenders.

  18. Have to believe the Ravens will figure it out, and if Ngata bolts that they’ll have his replacement lined up and ready to go.

    I hate it, but that’s a finely run organization.

  19. sdakota says: Feb 7, 2015 1:26 PM

    this was his lst year in awhile where he was consistent, now we know why.
    ————————————————————-
    Of course. PEDS give a player an unfair advantage, and it is clear that that would be especially enticing to a weak-minded guy toward the end of his career whose performance had slipped considerably.

    He tried to get away with it and succeeded – at least for 12 games, during which his team one just barely enough to get to the playoffs. Without this artificial aid, the Ravens probably finish 6-10 or 7-9. Really a shame these guys cannot play by the rules, as of course this impacted a number of other teams who rightfully deserved to o to the playoffs while the Ravens stayed home.

  20. Another instance were a ginormous QB contract keeps the team from retaining solid players.

  21. This is the nature of the beast. Look at the Patriots for example, they even stiffed Vince Wilfork and many of their most loyal/best players. They are praised for it because they remain successful.

    Ngata is still just 31 and has a couple quality years left, but there is no arguing he is on the downside of his career. In the NFL the successful teams dont pay for past success.

  22. Great player but they also have to manage the salary cap . He is likely worth the contact but if you can’t fill other positions then something has to give

  23. Considering the Ravens don’t have that much cap space I’d say it’s bye bye Ngata. They need to get a better secondary anyway because that unit is straight garbage.

  24. magnumpimustache says: Feb 7, 2015 1:21 PM

    Ravens have no loyalty to their players.

    Another reason why they are on the decline.
    **************************************
    Decline? Right!
    In the last 7 season
    + 6 playoff appearances
    + at least 1 win in each
    + 3 AFC championship appearances
    + 1 Superbowl championship
    If that’s decline I’ll take it all day long.

  25. Bal better hope to end the relationship on a good note with Ngata. I could see 92 and big Vince 75 lined up in the middle on run/goal line plays. Sub both of them out on 3rd and long/passing downs. Put in Dominique Easley etc to collapse the pocket.

    If the Patriots retain McCourty and Revis, that Def could be really good again next year!

  26. He is probably going to be a casualty of Joe Flacco’s contract.

    To the guy who said they went 3-1 without him in December, they beat Jacksonville, Cleveland and a third crappy team that I can’t recall right now. Thy struggled to beat those teams as well. Go ahead and try to replace him with Timmy Jernigan. It would be a mistake.

  27. THIS is why players hold out for more money after a good season. They would be fools not to get the most guaranteed money in each year that they play because they can be cut without a thing at any moment.

  28. I hate how teams sign these contracts and then don’t want to honor the contract. If you don’t want to pay a 32 year old 8.5 mil then don’t sign him to a contract that says you’ll pay him 8.5 mil. The NFL has so much power it’s a joke.

  29. Two guys on that dominant ravens defense that I always felt were irreplaceable were a prime ed reed or ngata. They lose both well the stats may say they are still good but not quite as dominant.

  30. rodneyharrisonstruckstick says:
    Feb 7, 2015 2:19 PM
    Bal better hope to end the relationship on a good note with Ngata. I could see 92 and big Vince 75 lined up in the middle on run/goal line plays. Sub both of them out on 3rd and long/passing downs. Put in Dominique Easley etc to collapse the pocket.

    If the Patriots retain McCourty and Revis, that Def could be really good again next year!
    ======================================
    Ngata has a better chance of getting his $8.5M than Vince has in getting his $8.9M. Vince can be cut with practically no cap hit. Vince is looking at a pay cut too. If you thought last summer was rough with Vince and Bianca, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The Mankins deal was never about a spare tight end. It was about cash and cap. If you want guys like Revis around, others are going to have to take cuts or get released. The Flacco deal is now rearing its head in Baltimore.

  31. Pats don’t have the cap space for him… They will be extreemly lucky to resign their own guys…. I don’t see the Pats getting big name free agents at all this year…more like veteran depth players that are solid but not all glamour & glitz!!!
    Haloti is a great player & wish him the best no matter where he plays

  32. itsfootballbaby says:
    Feb 7, 2015 2:13 PM
    magnumpimustache says: Feb 7, 2015 1:21 PM

    Ravens have no loyalty to their players.

    Another reason why they are on the decline.
    **************************************
    Decline? Right!
    In the last 7 season
    + 6 playoff appearances
    + at least 1 win in each
    + 3 AFC championship appearances
    + 1 Superbowl championship
    If that’s decline I’ll take it all day long.
    ———————————————————-

    This would be considered a bad stretch for your NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS!! think on that one folks

  33. He could be forced to walk because some stupid GM, Hello Cleveland, will overpay him for the downside of his career. However, I think Ngata will end up staying put because he knows he can stay and win ANOTHER Super Bowl with #5 and company.

    Eff the Patriots, last season is over and the Journey for the new champion is ON!

  34. “Mr Ngata, we’d like you to stay, but at less money and you still need to face DeCastro & Co multiple times every year for the rest of your career.” He’s as good as gone.

  35. “Patriots…”

    As a Pats fan I don’t see that happening. Ngata hates the Pats and there’s no love lost from New England either.

    I think Ngata would retire rather than play for the Pats if they were the only place he could go to.

    Raiders if they can’t get Suh maybe, or Detroit to replace Suh if they lose him. The Bills maybe, there will be other teams that want him.

  36. This is my biggest issue with the NFL they should have fully guaranteed contracts, if it works in the other three major sports in the USA don’t tell me it cannot work in Football.

    Its also I feel hard on fans to lose their favorite players at least with guaranteed contracts we know how long a player has got.

    $8.5 mill does not seem too big of nunberrfor Ngata but then I dont know the Ravens cap. He will not be short of a job if they cut him. As a Patriots fan I would love him but there is no way they can afford that cap number with the state of our cap right now.

  37. They signed to pay him 8.5m at 32 at their OPTION. They did not know at the time whether they’d exercise the option or not. He gave them said option in return for a huge signing bonus. That’s how it works. He never thought the money was guaranteed.

  38. “This is my biggest issue with the NFL they should have fully guaranteed contracts, if it works in the other three major sports in the USA don’t tell me it cannot work in Football.”

    Wrong. It never worked in baseball and many players performing like crap after they got big MLB contracts is a large part of the reason I haven’t watched baseball in over 20 years.

    And NBA and NHL rosters are much smaller and have many more games to generate income from.

    What NFL players get is huge signing bonuses that they don’t have to return if they get cut. They get a lot of money up front. If you guarantee the rest you will drop the competition level of the games dramatically.

  39. Ravens are smart, at 31 this dude ain’t worth $8.5 against the cap. He could get hurt or his performance could drop and it’ll prevent them from signing Torrey Smith.

    Ravens will cut him, he will finish a Jaguar or a Raider or a Buccaneer and then they will resign Torrey Smith to a long term deal.

    This way Ngata will keep his same salary and get that nice signing bonus. It really doesn’t make sense for him to stay, that Ravens are beefy down low and young. Ngata prohibits the development of young talented players with his big salary. He’s not 25-28 anymore, he needs to become a rotational player, provide veteran leadership and coaching to fit on that line or he can choose to go for the gusto a full time starter job. The Ravens probably don’t believe he’s got the durability anymore, I agree.

  40. Ngata, not Flacco, has the biggest cap number for the Ravens next year. Given that, his suspension and the play of Timmy Jernigan he will take a cut or leave.

  41. This is why every player should go for the most money in the front end of a contract and signing bonus.

  42. I would be careful in this situation if I were Ngata. Brandon Williams was great beside him at nose tackle all season and Timmy Jernigan did a solid job replacing him during his suspension. Jernigan is not there yet as a complete lineman but he seemed to be pretty consistent from a pass rushing standpoint, something Ngata has been good at but not neccessarily consistent at throughout his career. The Ravens also have solid role players in Canty and Deangelo Tyson returning along with two recent draft picks in Brent Urban and Kapron Lewis-Moore who had their ’14 seasons cut short by injury. I think everyone in the Ravens organization wants him back but he is not worth $16 million this year. Hoping he sees what Suggs saw and resigns to a new deal that will allow him to retire as a Raven while helping his team continue to field a consistent winning group.

  43. He better remember how we all stood behind him when he completely screwed the team w/his suspension. I would think we will be able to get this one done. Unfortunately, I don’t see him playing 16 games a year from here on out, so we cannot put the franchise at risk. We have 2 young studs waiting in the wings as well.

  44. The Ravens need to sign Forsett, Torrey Smith and get another experienced CB. Yes there will be a drop off with Williams and Jernigan in place of Ngata. But the numbers don’t lie. His contract is too big. Webb will also have to take less or go. We love them both, but Ozzie has put together a winning team and whatever has to be done, has to be done. Besides, almost every Raven that has left in free agency has been a disappointment for the team that signed them. Franklin and Grubbs are the only two that come to mind that they should have kept.

  45. Cap be damned, the ravens would be smart to keep him. Better find a way to keep him on the team. That man is a key that they need. They already learned the hard way with Boldin..

  46. lenbias34pt says:
    Feb 7, 2015 1:02 PM
    92 is king Kong in pads 4 or 5 snaps a game…..but he also takes plenty of snaps off.

    Certainly great, and will be missed, but Brandon Williams was arguably the more consistent preformer last season.
    There is no way the Ravens can allow him to stay on at his current pay rate.

    We’ll see how much 92 really wants to win in the coming weeks.

    ———–

    They said the same thing about Boldin. Fact is NFL teams need to start honoring contracts.

  47. I love how the “keyboard clowns’ always bring the Patriots into every topic on this site. It’s simple BB and TB 12 are laughing at all of you….keep hating it’s too funny!!!!

  48. Great player, too expensive at a position with options.

    One thing on Jernigan though…yes, showed promise, but will never be the run stuffer Ngata is.

    It makes sense for Ngata to hometown slightly and Ravens to overpay slightly. If Ngata wants.a.payday, it wont be in Bmore

  49. “jonathankrobinson424 says: Feb 7, 2015 1:03 PM

    Ravens are foolish if they let him go.

    If they do, I’m sure the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Steelers, Bengals, Browns, Titans, Jags, Colts, Raiders, Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Falons, Saints, Bears, Vikings, Packers,Redskins, Giants,& Cowboys would give him a offer the day after the Ravens cut him.

    Only the Texans,Panthers, Bucs,Lions & Eagles would’nt need him.”

    “””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

    Chiefs are set at NT, thanks.

    Poe>Ngata

  50. Ozzie Newsome was well trained by Bill Belichick. Never pay a penny for prior performance. It’s better to let a player go a year too early than a year too late.

  51. Thank God no one mentioned the highly overrated general manager they have. He gave away Boldin for a 6th round draft pick and negotiated them into cap hell with that lucrative contract that was given to Jump Ball Joe.

  52. Ngata as a Raven individually cheated and was punished with a 4 game suspension.

    Ngata wouldn’t be a good fit for the Patriots. When they cheat it is the whole offense, and they don’t get punished. Not a good fit at all.

  53. pastabelly says:
    Feb 7, 2015 2:36 PM
    Ngata has a better chance of getting his $8.5M than Vince has in getting his $8.9M. Vince can be cut with practically no cap hit. Vince is looking at a pay cut too. If you thought last summer was rough with Vince and Bianca, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The Mankins deal was never about a spare tight end. It was about cash and cap. If you want guys like Revis around, others are going to have to take cuts or get released. The Flacco deal is now rearing its head in Baltimore.
    ———————————————–
    True in a sense. However, the second part of Wilforks contract (which you are referencing above) is/was definitely a garbage throw in to bump the guaranteed money while minimizing his cap hit. Front loaded big number mirage. Certainly a manipulation of the numbers. Its pretty much a given Vince will be cut, or he will have to restructure if he wants to stay. I think he will.

    Based off what all pats fans have seen, its that big Vince has lost a step or five. Sealver Siliga could fill his role at One tenth of the price at this point. As long as there is another big boy on the line with him.

    I was speaking to the the possibility of the ravens and Ngata having a mean spirited negotiation, or falling out. In which he felt he was wronged. At that point he would possibly put aside any dislike for the Patriots organization and play for a real opportunity to win another championship while getting back at his former team. If he’d settle for less, i could totally see the Pats dumping Wilfork in this situation. unless he capitulated like wise!

    Easy Peasy!

  54. This will be the same as when Casey Hampton left the Steelers.

    A nose tackle that takes up 2 (and maybe even 3) blockers is significant.

    If he leaves, the entire Baltimore defense will suffer.

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