One month after winning Super Bowl XLVII and the game MVP trophy, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco made history Monday when he became the highest paid player in NFL history.
Flacco, who led the Ravens to their second Super Bowl trophy by beating the San Francisco 49ers at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, La., in February, signed a six-year, $120.6 million deal with the Ravens Monday. The deal is broken down as follows--Flacco will be paid a $29 million signing bonus and $52 million in guaranteed money, and $51 million over the first two years of his contract.
A five-year veteran, Flacco, 28, who has been with the Ravens since his rookie season in 2008, has thrown for 17,633 yards and 102 touchdowns over his career with Baltimore, having led the Ravens to the postseason all five seasons of his career, including three AFC title games--with back-to-back appearances in the last two years--and to an improbable, emotional Super Bowl title run this past season.
Flacco was particularly impressive in the playoffs this season, throwing for 1,140 yards, 57.9 percent pass completions, with no interceptions and 11 touchdowns as he out-dueled some of the best quarterbacks in the game, including Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback star Andrew Luck, Denver Broncos MVP candidate Peyton Manning, the New England Patriots' three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and, finally, San Francisco 49ers quarterback sensation Colin Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII.
Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the Super Bowl to win the game MVP trophy.
However, for Flacco, long underrated among quarterback counterparts in the NFL, it was not an issue of dollars.
"It's not really about the money, it's about that respect," Flacco said minutes after he inked his historic deal. ""Definitely about earning that respect and feeling that respect around here. The fact that we got it done and that they made me [the highest-paid player] definitely makes me feel good about how we played and how they feel about me."
While the deal was the largest in NFL history, it will actually save the Ravens more money this coming season as compared to the $19.1 million that it would have cost the Ravens to put Flacco under their franchise tag label in order to avoid losing him in free agency.
And with Flacco's contract only due to eat up $6.8 million of the team's $123 million cap for next season, the Ravens have some flexibility to hold onto some of its championship players.
"I don't know too much about the details," Flacco said during the Monday news conference following the signing. "I know it's going to be less on the cap than an exclusive or nonexclusive franchise tag would be. I know we have a lot of good players on the team, and I love to play with those guys so hopefully it works out very good for the organization and we can keep as many people as we need. That's all I really know. I don't know too much about how it was structured and the talks that went into that."
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome stood by the decision to pay Flacco such a handsome new deal.
"He's a significant reason we've been to the playoffs five years in a row, played in three AFC championship games, and now, we are Super Bowl champs with Joe as MVP," Newsome said.
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