The Baltimore Ravens have no intentions of letting Pro-Bowl LB Ray Lewis hit free agency. Team owner, Steve Bisciotti said the team has begun “open dialogue” with Lewis and his agents. Not surprisingly, this is the first time the Ravens have let Lewis even reach the final year of his contract. Could this have an impact on negotiations?

I highly doubt it. If by some freak chance Lewis does hit free agency except the Ravens will do whatever possible to keep him. “If he becomes a free agent next year, I think the Ravens would probably outbid other teams,” Bisciotti said . “We know Ray’s value more than the other teams. We know the leadership he brings to the team. We know the commitment and the effort he gives to winning.”

This statement is so true, the team itself and the city of Baltimore absolutely love this guy and he’s the heart and soul of both. If Lewis was to leave, they’d have a revolt on their hands from the fans. I think anyone who knows someone from the Baltimore area can tell you, their fans LOVE Ray, a lot of them will tell you he’s the reason they are a fan of them.

Lewis is now 32, and scheduled to make $6.5 million this season. Many critics around the league have argued that he’s just not as good of a defensive player as he used to be. Lewis only had 2 sacks, 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD) but did log 121 tackles. His best days, the days of contending for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, may be behind him but he’s still one of the better linebackers in the NFL. He’ll command a decent amount of money but I doubt this contract winds up long term.

My guess, he’s back in Baltimore in 2009.

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