Lewis was locked up to a deal recently so he is not a FA.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore Ravens star middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ seven-year, $50 million contract is about to expire, but he didn’t behave as if he had played his final game in Baltimore.
Other than flipping the football to an equipment manager for safekeeping after recovering one of his two fumbles Sunday in a 27-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium that clinched a playoff berth, Lewis acted as if it was just another day at the office. He led the Ravens with eight tackles and forced a fumble and was singing a Bob Marley song afterward in the locker room while waiting for fullback Lorenzo Neal to wrap up an interview.
Drafted in the first round prior to the Ravens’ inaugural season in 1996, Lewis has always had his contract renewed at least one year before becoming a free agent. Now, he’s in position to test free agency if he chooses in March. G
General manager Ozzie Newsome has said there are no current negotiations, but the team plans to talk with Lewis’ representatives as soon as the season is over.
If his departure is actually impending, then Lewis did a good job of keeping those thoughts to himself.
"I would be the most selfish person ever to walk this earth if I thought about myself and not my team right now," said Lewis, who has been involved in negotiations with the team since the spring. "It’s all about my teammates."
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who’s the Ravens’ franchise player and scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent if the Ravens don’t sign him to a long-term deal or designate him with the franchise tag again, feels fairly assured of his return.
"It didn’t feel like my last game on the field," Suggs said. "The crowd was amazing. We just went out there and had fun."
And Suggs is fairly certain that he’ll be in the same huddle as Lewis again. It’s considered more unlikely that inside linebacker Bart Scott, whose deal is also up, will be retained.
Carroll County Times: Westminster, Maryland
