With the deadline to re-sign players just around the corner, the Baltimore Ravens are coming dangerously close to losing Justin Tucker in the 2017 season. According to his agent, the placekicker will not re-sign with the team if he is not offered a long-term deal.
The Ravens have franchise tagged Tucker for next season and under this deal, he is bound to make about $4.572 million. If Tucker agrees to this, then Baltimore has another chance of keeping him for the 2017-2018 season.
The problem, however, is that Tucker is not happy with his tag. Specifically, he wants a long-term deal with the team. Although it is not yet clear just how much Tucker is asking for, it could be something close to the four-year contract worth $17.2 million that was offered by the New England Patriots to Stephen Gostkowski last summer, according to NFL.com.
According to Rob Roche, Tucker's agent, the athlete has vowed not to play for the Ravens in the 2017 season if the team insists on its franchise tag on him.
"Justin's disillusioned with the process right now and the Ravens position with him on his contract," Roche told ESPN. "If we don't get a long-term deal done by Friday, Justin will not entertain offers from the Ravens after the season."
If Baltimore really value its players, then it should not hesitate in agreeing to a long-term contract with Tucker. For one, he's worth it. Tucker is currently one of the most accurate kickers in the league.
In his three-year career with the Ravens, he has managed to hit 130 out of the 148 field goals during the regular seasons. This translates to a conversion rate of 87.8. With a sharpshooter like that, it would be wise for the Ravens to spend a little money on Tucker. With his accuracy, he can easy contribute points to the scoreboard.
Hopefully though, the team and Tucker will be able to reach a mutually beneficial understanding regarding the latter's contract. But, they must do this now since the deadline for re-signing athletes is this Friday at 4 p.m.
