The Baltimore Ravens might still have chance at signing safety Tony Jefferson in free agency.
With NFL free agency only four days away, the rumors are starting to fly around the league. The Baltimore Ravens have been linked to two major player free agents: Brandon Marshall and Tony Jefferson.
As first reported by Jason La Confora, the Ravens could be a potential suitor for Jefferson if the price is right. Today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweeted that Jefferson’s agent expects his client to get around $7 million per year.
According to agent who reps a free agent safety, expect #Cardinals S Tony Jefferson to avg about $7M per year. Others at about $5.5M per
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) March 5, 2017
After tweeting this out, Cole then followed with another tweet stating that he thought $7 million would be low. Jefferson responded to the tweet in agreement. Spotrac.com has Jefferson’s market value at $5.7 million a year.
$7 million is a big number, especially since the Ravens are already fighting to keep three key free agents. With Eric Berry now getting $13 million a year, you think it would drive down the price for Jefferson, but that does not seem to be the case. At $1.5 million over the average safety, that is a steep price for the Ravens to pay already.
The Bottom Line
As much as I want to see Tony Jefferson on the Ravens, it is going to be tough to pay him that kind of money with the tight cap room. The Ravens would most likely have to let either Wagner or Williams go and cut Lardarius Webb to bring in Jefferson.
Next: Free Agency 2017: 3 Obvious Cap Casualties For Ravens
At this point, it might be better for the team to stick with Webb at safety and push to bring in Brandon Marshall. Webb just recently transitioned from corner to safety and fared pretty well in his first year. Do not get me wrong, I think Tony Jefferson is a fantastic player, but that kind of money might not be in the Ravens best interest. The offense seems to be more of a concern for the upcoming season and bringing in Brandon Marshall could be a game changer. Any problems in the secondary can wait to be addressed in a draft that is very deep with defensive talent. If Jefferson wants to take a little less to come player for the Ravens, by all means they should bring him in, but it is not worth overpaying.