Lardarius Webb Asked to Take a Pay Cut, But Ravens Have Little Leverage

Jan 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) attempts to catch the ball in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb (21) during the second quarter in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

There isn’t a soul that actually thinks that Lardarius Webb is worth the $8 million dollars he is scheduled to make in 2015, in the fourth year of his six year deal. But there are plenty of folks who feel like the Baltimore Ravens, who are now asking Webb to take a straight up pay cut, hold very little leverage in contract discussions. And I am one of them.

When Webb signed his deal, he was well on his way to becoming a top flight corner. It’s hard to fault the Ravens for locking him up and paying him a handsome salary, even though that decision appears to be destined to hurt them this coming season. You see, Webb also carries a $12 million dollar cap hit for the team in 2015, so releasing him before June 1st would net the Ravens only $2 million in cap savings.

If Webb decides to play hardball and refuses to take a pay cut, the Ravens could still cut him, sure. But the dead money that his release would create ($10 million) hardly makes it worth it. They are already second in the NFL in dead money, behind only the Detroit Lions, thanks in large part to Ray Rice’s contract. Not to mention, they are a little light at the cornerback position, as you may have heard.

Webb, who turns 30 in October, is signed through 2017 and is due at least $8 million in each season remaining on his contract. Even if the Ravens decide to bite the bullet this season and pay him, we’ll be talking about the same issue again next year, unless his lingering back issue was truly the cause of last season’s ineffectiveness. The difference is, the Ravens can cut Webb next offseason and gain $6 million in cap space as things stand today.

The best case scenario here is that Lardarius Webb will agree to a restructure of some sort, one that guarantees him little money after 2015 and perhaps gives both team and player a way out if things go south. It would allow him a chance to prove that he is not past his prime and perhaps cash in on one more pay day. But this is, of course, an unlikely scenario.

More likely, the team could reduce Webb’s salary by a couple million and add some playing time incentives that would allow him to make it back by staying on the field. Or, a portion of his salary could be converted into a bonus to spread the cap hit over multiple seasons. Kicking the can down the road is not something that Ozzie Newsome likes to do, however, as he has discussed in the past.

So while it is unlikely that the Ravens would outright cut Webb, the possibility does exist. With Haloti Ngata already refusing to budge on his contract, the Ravens might have trouble getting anywhere with Webb as well. As things stand right now, he doesn’t have much incentive to work with them, unless he truly wants to remain in Baltimore.

Next: Would the Ravens welcome back Cary Williams?

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