The World Champion Baltimore Ravens will defend their title without another one of their defensive stalwarts. Ed Reed has agreed to terms with the Houston Texans. What the agreement is has been undisclosed for the moment, however it was thought to be similiar to the deal he played under last season with the Ravens who earned $7.2 million in base salary.
Reed has spent his enitre career with the Ravens until now.
Reed, 34, is a future Hall of Famer who has 61 interceptions in his career, seven of which he has returned for touchdowns. In total, Reed has scored 13 touchdowns during his 11-year career, which has included nine trips to the Pro Bowl and eight All-Pro nods. A first-round pick out of Miami, Reed was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.
Reed is the latest player to leave the Super Bowl champion Ravens. Linebacker Ray Lewis retired after the season and linebackers Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe left the team for free-agent deals with the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Cornerback Cary Williams signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. The Ravens also released safety Bernard Pollard for salary-cap reasons.
While it was nice to see Joe Flacco get his money, one wonders if this was the price to be paid for giving one player so much more that you are forced to be without key players who have been such a force on your team for well over a decade. Time will tell if this is or is not something that will come back to haunt the Ravens from a financial stand point.
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 