Yesterday, the Ravens officially locked up OLB Terrell Suggs to a four-year contract extension that offered them close to $4 million in cap relief.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun later reported that Baltimore approached NT Haloti Ngata about an extension that would reduce his $16 million cap figure for the 2014 season, but talks reportedly went nowhere.
Today, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun offers a few guys who could be on the chopping block as they attempt to free up additional cap space to address guys impending free agents like TE Dennis Pitta and LT Eugene Monroe.
Zrebiec lists FB Vonta Leach, ILB Jameel McClain and P Sam Koch as the most likely targets.
Leach, 32, has a $2.3 million cap figure for the 2014 season and plays a position that continues to decline in value. Baltimore could save $1.75 million by leasing him.
McClain, 28, has previously been mentioned as a speculative release candidate, so it comes as little surprise to see him listed here. He will count $4.4 million against the team’s cap and suffered a spinal cord injury back in 2012. The Ravens stand to gain $3.2 million cap space by releasing him.
Koch, 31, will count $2.8 million against the Ravens cap. NFL teams have shown a tendency to view aging punters as replaceable options in recent years, so it really wouldn’t be all that surprising to see them target a younger guy at a more modest salary. Releasing him would free up $1.6 million in cap space.
This would bring the Ravens total cap space from all three moves to about $6.55 million, according to OverTheCap.com’s Salary Cap Calculator.
As things stand right now, the Ravens should have close to $12 million in available cap space. However, that will go quickly once they lock up Pitta and Monroe to long-term deals.
We’ll have more regarding the Ravens and possible release cap casualties as the news is available.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
