Ed Reed Will Be Returning In 2010
By Joe Barnes
The title says it all. Baltimore has the right to celebrate Christmas in July if they’d like to, because Ed Reed is coming back to the Ravens next season, and that won’t be all.
According to Jamison Hensley, Ed Reed has not only told the Ravens that he’d be returning in 2010, but would also like a new contract. With a current deal that has three years left on it for a combined $18.7 million, Reed says that he wouldn’t be wanting a new deal if he wasn’t to play out the whole contract.
"I’m not going to ask the Ravens about anything if I’m not going to play any much longer…I’m not about to ask them for anything if I’m not playing."
Click “Continue Reading” to find out more about Reed’s return and his desired new contract.
Let’s take this news with a pinch of salt, shall we? Ed Reed returning and wanting a new contract is actually a bit unexpected, at least to me. Just last week he said he was only 35% recovered from hip surgery, and besides that hip, it seems like every part of his body has additional injuries. Training camp is 3 weeks away, and 65% recovery in three weeks seems pretty tough to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pumped that he’s coming back. But a new contract? Really? Let’s dive into this a little further…
"Reed seemed to base his pursuit of a new deal on the fact that he has maintained his level of play while other safeties have not. He pointed out that Ken Hamlin (who signed a $38 million deal with Dallas in July 2008) and Roy Williams (the eighth overall pick in the 2002 draft – the same draft where Reed was selected 24th) have since moved on to other teams. Hamlin recently signed with the Ravens because of Reed’s uncertain status."
Fair enough. Let’s see what else he says…
"He acknowledged that he could miss a portion of the regular season.“I believe with the hip, it could be a realistic thing where it could be October, November and December,” Reed said. “We don’t know. It’s going to be dependent on how I feel and what have I done to get back into full-throttle game shape.”"
DECEMBER?!?!?!? You want a new contract when you might only play 5 or less games this season? Alright man, you’re good, you are REALLY good. But think about what you’re saying. If you’re getting paid $6 million in 2010 and you want a raise to, let’s say…$7.5 million, you’re getting paid $1.5 million, PER GAME. A game with a few tackles, maybe an interception and good coverage is not worth $1.5 million.
Now, I’ll be objective for a second. If I were Ozzie and Steve, I would try to get Ed Reed a new contract ASAP. He’s been the best for a while and having him happy with his contract is key to his performance. With that said, let’s look at what we have directly ahead of us, not what’s 500 feet away.
Ed Reed is back for 2010, and might not play that much. Cool, he’s back, we need him.
Ed Reed wants to sign an extension while he’s injured, which would mean more money being given to him and more years committed to him. For a guy who’s injured and has been bugged by nagging injuries for the past couple of seasons…a little bit less cool.
We’ll see what goes down with these contract negotiations, and see if the NFL’s best safety gets the contract that he wants. For now, let’s enjoy this Christmas in July, even if it is 103 degrees outside.
‘Till next time.