Rolando McClain Took Less To Play In Baltimore

May 22, 2012; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain (55) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Here is one of the more interesting footnotes I have stumbled across over the past few days. Rolando McClain took less money to be a Raven than he could have gotten somewhere else.

This is particularly interesting when coupled with the fact that McClain said he was signing with the Ravens almost a full day before the contract was hammered out.

This gives me more hope than ever that this signing will work out and McClain will be a good player for the Ravens in the future. McClain wanted to be a Raven. He felt it was the right environment for him and he did whatever it took to convince the Ravens he was worth taking a chance on. That would tend to indicate that he is committed to dedicate himself to changing his image as a player and a person. I like that. It says something about him, maybe he has made mistakes(horrible horrible mistakes), but maybe, just maybe, he wants to change. When a guy wants to change, and he works to get himself in a position and an environment to change, then he probably has a good chance of turning things around.

I could be wrong, maybe it was all about playing in the Ravens defensive scheme and had nothing to do with his character. Maybe he just wanted to play for the Super Bowl champs regardless of what type of locker-room they had. Time will tell, but this seems to be a good sign.

There is no word on Which teams were offering him more or what they were offering.