Reaction: Ravens May Have Interest in Disgruntled Marshall

Story: Ravens May Have Interest in Disgruntled Marshall

ProFootballTalk.com, generally well-sourced and recently bolstered further in terms of credibility by a union with NBC Sports, is reporting that Brandon Marshall wants out of Denver. Per the report, any prospective deal will be compared with the Dallas Cowboys acquisition of Roy Williams. The website suggests that Marshall's rights would cost an NFL franchise their first and third round picks, and a new deal paying him roughly $9-million per season. LINK

Speculation centers around Baltimore as a possible landing spot, given their lack of a credible big-play receiver and reported interest in adding one.

Reaction:

The Ravens are pretty thorough about these things. I'd expect that at the absolute least, they'll kick the tires. And if the risks associated with Marshall can be contained, he changes the game completely. Easier said than done, no doubt.

On the field however, Brandon Marshall and Joe Flacco could very conceivably play together for ten years. That would bring together two of the league's prototypical players at their respective positions in the infancy of the primes of their careers.

A cannon-armed 6'6" second year quarterback with 13 wins and an AFC Championship appearance on his first year resume' paired with perhaps the baddest young receiver in the NFL - three years in, he's got two 100+ catch seasons and an 18 catch game on his. Flacco-to-Marshall has the chance to be a truly special combination in the NFL, and would immediately make the Ravens an offensive force to be reckoned with in the NFL in 2009, and well beyond. Marshall can be to Flacco what Reggie Wayne is to Peyton Manning.

Ultimately though, I take issue with the Roy Williams comparisons.

First, other NFL teams would seem unlikely to use that contract or deal as a barometer, because the rest of the league recognizes how dysfunctional the Dallas Cowboys have been over the last decade, and how desperate they were last season in making that deal. 

That's an educated guess.

Second, there's a reason Anquan Boldin hasn't been traded, and it sets a precedent for this situation too.

Boldin's one of the league's best receivers; this clearly isn't a talent issue. His problem? The league's best general managers value their money and their draft picks above almost anything else. When Boldin didn't move this off-season, it signaled a resounding rejection by receiver-needy NFL teams of the notion of giving up draft picks and huge money for players, even the truly great ones. At least this year.

Factor in Marshall's host of legal problems, complete with a rap sheet that resembles the litany of issues faced by Pacman Jones, and you have a guy that should probably feel fortunate to have a fresh start, let alone the huge dollars every player in the league is going after. 

The truth is, the Ravens aren't afraid to take risks (see Terrible Owens), but they will always be calculated risks. Good franchises don't invest huge money in players that haven't proven they are worthy of it. And while his on-field performance places him amongst the league's elite, his conduct off of it has him in Roger Goodell's cross-heirs, and on the verge of a substantial suspension as is.

The onus will fall on Marshall, and he's got a lot to prove. Given how vulnerable of a position his presence alone puts whatever team he plays for in financially and otherwise, one would think he'll need to earn a new deal, not be handed one.

Perhaps his immense talent has blinded some league executives, but I tend to doubt that.

Ultimately, it's the Ravens read of Marshall's character that will determine whether or not he ends up in Baltimore. From what I've gathered, that doesn't bode well for his odds of playing for the team this year.

On the field, the move has the potential to be the 2009 version of the Moss to New England trade. Off it, the disastrous potential is likely to scare the Ravens off.