Getty ImagesSo why isn’t safety Ed Reed a member of the Ravens?
It’s a simple analysis. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Ravens had a price they were willing to pay Reed, and the Texans exceeded it.
The Ravens applied a similar approach four years ago, when linebacker Ray Lewis became an unrestricted free agent. Unlike Reed, Ray found nothing better on the open market, so he returned.
Of course, there’s a chance that the Ravens made Reed an offer knowing/hoping/praying that he would find something better. We developed a distinct sense last week that the Ravens didn’t want Reed back, but it wouldn’t go over well with the fan base to slam the door in Reed’s face.
Channel Finder
I think the Ravens will pay the price without Ed Reed.
Again, congrats to the Texans, their fans, and Ed Reed.
Ravens Nation is forever grateful for your efforts on and off the field.
Houston is very fortunate to be getting a consumate professional.
Bears took a different approach with Urlacher and now look like jerks.
Reed was never going anywhere except where the money was. He said it himself a few years ago: money = respect.
Better to let go a year too soon than a year too late. They’ll never REALLY replace him – it’s rare to fully replace the greats – but they’ll be better for it.
ok lets huff and puff
Our fan base is a smart one. No one here is freaking out. Ed has every right to grab as much cash as he can before hanging em up. Raven for life. Good luck in Houston.
Reeds legacy is affected by this. I love you Ed but why
It was always weird to see Rice in a Raiders uniform or Montana in a Chiefs uniform; it will be the same way for Ravens fans.
With every player that leaves, more and more pressure gets put on Flacco.
Good for Houston, you have a phenomenal player with tremendous ball skills and great leadership. Ed, we will miss you, but every great thing must come to an end.
Congrats Houston
Translation: “Joe took all the Money, here is what is left”…………..Ed says”tell Joe I hope he enjoyed the trophy, he will never see it again.”
Reminds me of when the Eagles offered Brian Dawkins an offer at the end of his career, but the Broncos offered him more. The Eagles wouldn’t match it, figuring his time has come, and regretted it ever since. B-Dawk had several good years out there in Denver, and the Eagles haven’t had a good Safety since.
what ever happened to loyalty to an organization who made him a superstar!? i guess alls these players care for is money!
As a die hard Ravens fan I love Ed Reed and it will pain me to see him in another uni next year. But the Ravens, Super Bowl or not were a team in transition from Defense dominate to Offense dominate team. Its hard to see so many go, but the future is bright with younger stars on this team and a heavy slough of draft picks coming next month.
Reed will go down as one of the game’s greats, but he’s on the downside of his career. It’s unfortunate for Ravens’ fans that he didn’t retire in Baltimore. But I think they can trust that their secondary will be fine going forward. From this, it sounds as though Houston probably overpaid for Ed at this stage of his career.
The people on here that claim the Flacco contract has something to do with the release of all these big names don’t have a clue. His cap number was $8 million last year. It’s $6.8 million this year. Ozzie obviously has a plan.
Great signing for a team that needs veteran leadership. As a Texans fan, I am happy with the move. Our season went downhill after they bought themselves varsity jackets.
Texans haven’t paid the price yet…..but they will…old slow no longer the tackler he once was…..good get
about time , he’s old , can’t stay healthy , can’t tackel and we won’t be held hostage every offseason by him anymore deciding if he’s going to retire or not. and 4mil for a past his prime , can’t stay healthyplayer was crazy to begin with. every year Ozzie jettisons over the hill, or players who think they are worth more than they really are. name any of the people who have been let go who did something for other teams. the defense sucked most of the last season, so I’m glad the purge has happened.
Great addition in Houston. I’m mad SF wouldn’t beat the Texans offer
He will excel in Wade Phillips system. The Ravens however will not do too well next year with all these moves. This was a competitive roster for a good 6-7 years and only got better with age.
Me thinks Ed Reed should have returned and retired. But I am not Ed Reed.
ER, to help you move out of your Baltimore home and into your new one, you should get a few of your nfl friends to help you out.
Ray Ray could polish up your cutlery, Suggs could do your laundry (whites only though), and Hines Ward could clean your clock (again).
Possibly the greatest free safety ever. It’s really a shame to see great players play their entire careers for one team and then finish up with another team like a fish out of water.
As a Ravens fan, this one stings more than most. Baltimore will definitely miss Ed’s behind-the-scenes leadership. He’s been a key component of our defense and an electrifying player for so long here.
This is, once again, simply a matter of money. We all know that Ozzie Newsome only pays for the “right player at the right price.” He’s cold, calculating, and one of the best GMs in the league because of it. Tough on the fans? Absolutely. But a good football is run like a business, not a nostalgia machine.
Still, Baltimore will always have a soft spot for you, “REEEEEEEEEED!”
The Ravens price range was set low so he would not return. Ozzie Newsome is smart and has that motto we keep hearing “Right player right price”. Reed thought he was worth 7 million a year, maybe 5 years ago. Last year he missed 21 tackles, got leaped over twice when making half hearted tackle attempts (once in Philly, once in Denver). Not to mention his gambling left the corners exposed because he lacked the speed to recover.
The man. Every fan would love this guy on their team.
I don’t care how old Ed Reed is. The dude can play and he’ll be a huge asset to the Texans.
Two great football players gone in one week, Ed Reed and Wes Welker. Like athletes have said all along ” this is a business “
I’m glad Ed is getting one more payday, but I’m also glad the Ravens aren’t the ones paying him. This would have stung if he hadn’t won a ring here, but its time to move on.
Ravens will have a hard time getting to the playoffs. Just the way it is most of the time after a great run.
As a Giants fan, the post Super Bowl year is a bonus. You know it’s a dream to repeat and you’re still thrilled there is a new trophy in the case (from a few mere months ago).
So when 2013 starts to go south, just remember: There are no trophies in Philly’s case…lol
Texans will not win a superbowl with shaub. Im sorry but he is not that good. Texans D. Is very good though. I like them alot and jj balls out. But andre showed his age last year and dink and dunk just wont work all year.
Thanks for 11 awesome seasons Ed. Wishing you the best every week except when you play the Ravens. As for the haters saying Baltimore will pay the price, keep on hating this team is getting younger, faster and hungrier!
If by “consummate professional” you mean somebody who was wishy washy every offseason, and whined about his contract all the time, then you nailed it.
Ravens did the right thing. You can’t pay for past performance.
Hey Terrell Suggs your whole team jumped ship.All the ball-busting you did on NE and what do you have left?Your other loud mouth partner [Pollard] got cut outright.What a team,real unity you’ll be lucky to finish ahead of Cleveland next yr.So you win 1 tainted SB on a bad call in a game which you contributed a big fat 0.
The Ravens are a classy organazation with a great GM. They had a number and wouldn’t stray from that. Look at all the other guys they let go. The writing was on the wall and although they said the right things and made a fair offer, Reed was gone one way or the other. He was a great player but he’s been slipping (with age and all the injuries) plus this whole “I’m gonna retire one day and I can play 4 more years the next got really old seeing as he said that offing on over the last few years. Dissing Flacco last year, and the mutiny thing this past season didn’t help. Good luck to a future HOFer in Houston.
These guys follow the dollar, I hate it when I see fans buy into all of the I LOVE THIS CITY, THIS IS MY HOME crap. They follow the dollar,,,,as they should
I like Ed Reed. But he looks like a homeless man with that beard.
Sorry where is all the outrage that was directed at the Pats for doing the exact same thing with Welker?
So, exactly what the Bears did to Urlacher, but since someone beat the offer, it’s not as insulting????
Ravens will be fine. Ozzie is building a young foundation with all the talent that is filled through the draft. If you people think that the Ravens will finish last next year, then you don’t know football.
Go onnn take the money and run, whooo hooo hooo!
the ravens have some elite QB they needed money for…
dismantled the team to pay some unknown qb
Ed Reed is still the best safety in the NFL and I am glad he plays for the Texans now.
The Texans need to improve the pass rush opposite J.J. Watt to improve Ed Reed and the rest of the secondary. DT Richard Seymour and DE John Abraham makes alot of sense for the Texans plus they should draft SMU DE Margus Hunt and Georgia DT Jon Jenkins to solidify the front 7.
I wonder if the Texans will sign DB Nnamdi Asomugha to replace Alan Ball.
This is putting alot of pressure on Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak. They better deliver or he will get replaced.
so Ed had a choice: Be a Raven legend (have a good career and then run for the money while pretentding you have love for the team and its fans) or be a Raven icon (Remain a raven and be loved by the team and its fans forever) and like most players he ran for the money. I understand that the career of a football player is not that long and everyone says go for the money for that very reason but how is it possible that ANY player is not be able to survive for the rest of their life after one contract?? most people don’t make 1 million in their entire life and they get by! Ed no longer deserves to mutter the word “Baltimore”, money hungry wh**e!
Wow, was it “insulting” like the Urlacher offer? Or, is it just that the Ravens wanted to move on because Reed is old and not that good anymore, like Urlacher?
Of course, that price they could afford would be higher if they wouldn’t be paying Flacco so much.
You go Joe!
Love Ed but his better days are behind him. Wish him a good season with Houston. I’m sure he won’t be kept for the entire duration of the contract. Go Ravens
Is this the Ravens player that murdered someone, or am I think of someone else?
As a pre-emptive strike against the many, many “Ravens are doomed!” posts that are sure to come… if you think that Ed Reed is a big loss, you obviously didn’t watch him play much the past two years.
He will always be remembered fondly here in Baltimore and he gave the Ravens many great years, but he is not the force that he once was. Texans fans will soon find that out. It was time to move on.
I love being a Ravens fan because the team is so smart. Glad they didn’t overspend for Reed….the safety market is bursting with young talent draft/FA’s and now its truly TSizzles D baby!
Ed Reed made the right choice. Take the money baby. However he said after the Superbowl his life was complete, that he just wanted to see his son graduate. I guess he forgot too mention that thing about an extra $3-4 million in the pocket lol
Haha….now when will they get a new coach?
This reminds me of the Packers/Jennings and Miami/Bush deals:
This regime decided its not worth paying its warriors for their battles, so they watch them leave and fight for other regimes.
Reed, Jennings, and Bush have plenty left to offer, as their former teams will soon learn!
Good luck Ed! Rebuilding for Ravens…
Ravens won’t be anywhere close to the Super Bowl next season.
This team is going to be “Horrible” next year. With out Ray Lewis AND Ed Reed. Not forgetting the rest that they lost through free agency. All the negative raven posts can make all the sarcastic remarks you like on EVERY steeler article, but let’s see if your team can reload as well and as consistent as the Black and Gold. I’m thinking …. No.
Ravens win 8 games max this season. If they are lucky.
yes…glad that the Raven fans can not root against Reed..yes.
Ouch! Boldin and now Reed, with Ray retiring, perhaps Mr. Flacco is about to demonstrate to the Ravens why everyone with a clue has and will never draft him as a Top 5 QB or pay him as one. Would have been tolerable should replacements have been targeted, but most are signed and not by BAL. I really like BAL, grew within 2 hrs, REALLY glad the beat the evil Harbaugh, but just not great moves. Let’s be honest, making the playoffs that many times in a row did not infuse them with a great amount of options, especially not top tier players like those. I doubt the surpass the Broncos this year without clutch jaw dropping grab after jaw dropping grab by Boldin toward the end of the game. Reed was clutch as always. Then look at their record with and without Ray. Come on! Still time to pull something off, no?
Interesting that you are not choosing to rake the Ravens over the coals about Reed like you did with Pats and Welker, Florio.
Good luck, Ed. Great player.
Yup..i told you..I gave you Raven Fans Akron Ohio…it was a good deal….it was a sweet deal..a sweet piece, but you ruined..just like every superbowl, Dilfer, Boldin….to name a termite few…Well you know This dude Abides and id like to take time and get some Orko like my boy John Goodman and get rid of the lil raven rodents…….RedskinBABY….
One and Done!
Introducing your 2013 Super Champion Baltimore Flaccos!
dont worry balt fans, you will see him twice a year picking off that elvis clone that he knows so well from practice
As a Browns fan I am glad not to see that motherhubbard ever again. Dude made so many picks on the Browns and Bengals to get into the Hall of Fame on that alone (almost). I feel like the Jaguar fans, and the Houston fans when Manning left the division. No tears.
Reed is one of the Ravens’ best players ever and the Ravens made an offer at what they felt was their value for him instead of wildly overpaying to keep him. You know, like the Pats did with WW. Now let’s see if there is as much criticism out there for the Ravens making this a business decision as there was for the Pats doing it. My guess is no. Both teams made the right decision for their franchises. Funny how perception alters reality for some people.
I miss his first 6 years in the league. Talk about wasting a great defense…Kyle Boller has to go down in history as the worst QB to ever spoil a great defense. Flacco has never had a great defense to support him, anything like those. Boller was always three and out, and it didn’t matter the defense could win the game themselves. Boller must be why Billick is not coaching any more.
Sad times for a sad franchise. The Ravens are the Marlins of the NFL. Win a bowl and sell your players at a rummage sale, but make sure to disrespect them on the way out.
Loser franchise, Loser fans, Loser city (unless the competition is for STD’s, then your city wins…. BIG)
It should be a rule that players like that can not switch teams. It is bad for the game. I know I would hate to have Polamalu in a different jersey. I want to hate him forever as a Steeler – not as something else.
Yeah, right. The Ravens decided they no longer wanted Ed Reed, and found a diplomatic way out of the situation.
The Texans will be a better team with Reed for sure.
There are a lot of classy Ravens fans out there, but there are quite a few munching on sour grapes. Like the guy that suggested Reed should be loyal to the Ravens because “they made him a star” Like he wouldn’t have been a star in the league no matter where he played..
Congrats, Houston. You just got a crowd pleaser and an eventual Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. He wasn’t worth the cap space in BMore, but you all can make an aging DB worth all that money since he is upgrading chump change. This made your team just good enough to challenge for 5th place in the AFC. Indianapolis should now be put on high alert!
4 first round picks next year for the supplemental draft for Ravens?
I find it comical that all these people are saying the Ravens are finished, they’re done, they’re not gonna win any games next year. Most of these losses are from a defense that was extremely under par as far as Ravens standards are concerned. You hate losing a Ray Lewis and Ed Reed’s leadership roles, but lets face it, they were both liabilities in run/coverage.
There are still stars at each level of that defense in Ngata, Suggs, and Webb.
The common theme last year was, “These Ravens can’t beat anyone, they stink!” Well look how that ended up? Hoisting the trophy. I’m not saying they’re going to win it all, but everyone who says they’re finished might just wishful thinking, or a little scared.
While Reed is one of my favorite all time Ravens and truly a class act, I believe the Ravens believed that his health was so poor that he probably wouldn’t have passed physical. Anyone watching him the last 2 years know that he is a shell of the player they once had. Michael Huff will be a big upgrade over Reed at safety. The Ravens are in a much better position with their defense going into this year. Kruger & ellerbe were pedestrian, at best,and a healthly Suggs with either Dumervil or freeney will be a huge upgrade. I hope that the texans have a team doctor similar to the James woods character from any given Sunday. Poor Ed cannot even raise his arm over his head any longer.
Ravens business/team model seems similar to the Giants to me. Well run organization.
I love how people are already predicting win totals for this team… Its still March. We all know it is the Draft, and late stages of FA where Ozzie shows his GM skills.
I don’t need to state my affinity for Ed, my surname says it all. The Ravens are heading in a different direction. They’re getting younger and investing more on offense. It’s an offensive league and they’re adjusting.
It pains me to say it, but Ed went on more piggyback rides these last couple years than my 6 year old nephew. He’s been such a gamer over his career that, physically, he’s at risk each time he attempts a tackle. So he doesn’t go 100% when wrapping up. Still a ball hawk and probably puts more fear into a QB looking downfield than any player in NFL history.
Best of luck to #20. Two tickets to paradise, now one ticket to Houston and one to follow to Canton.
And yes as always Ed > Troy
It is a shame that he is going someplace else. He should play every season as a Ravens. I wonder how far apart the front office was from the offer he got in Houston. As I hate the Ravens, I do not think that this move will hurt the Ravens’ defense the same as the loss of Lewis will hurt either as players but there will likely be weaker player leadership.
I hope Ed has a tremendous last season with Houston.
Prediction – when Ed Reed goes to the Hall of Fame, as he should, there won’t be many Texans clips on his highlight reel…
i hope he starts to tackle again.we’ll see him at
the ring of honor ceremony… good luck Mr Reed
So long Ed.
one last payday for ed? is this a joke? he has made more money then any other safety in the history of the NFL, he just paid 44 million over the past 6 seasons, and people who know ed know he doesn’t really care or spend a lot of money.
i can’t believe this greedy guy would ruin his legacy for a few million
He got out at the right time the ravens are just completely crumbling. The steelers-ravens rivalry is all about gone. Ravens are all but re-building
Brian Dawkins 2.0, ravens will regret this, just like the eagles, for years and years!!
Apparently there is not enough room in the nest for the rest of the team with Joe and his money.
Some of the guys the Ravens are losing are leaders in the locker room and they won’t easily be replaced.
It is a business and the Ravens realize you can’t hold on to these guys forever but what they brought in leadership will be a challenge to replace.
Ravens are obviously building. They won their super bowl, and are bringing in young guys. With the Bengals building a decent team with a lot of young players, the Ravens and Steelers cant afford to keep getting older. Browns will always suck.
Last season people called the Ravens D “old and slow”. They were critical that statistically (at least the popular defensive statistics, YPG, PPG) they were average at best.
Now the Ravens D is in a make over. Old is gone. But yet you say now they are crumbling, losing everyone, and it is Flacco’s fault.
I gotta stop reading the comments.
Ravens fans are hilarious
Last week they asserted that Flacco’s $120 million was cap friendly and paying $52 million over the next 2 years wouldn’t impact their ability to re-sign veterans.
This week, as veteran after veteran is let go after declining low ball offers, the mantra is “we’re re-building and getting younger and better – the guys who helped us win a Super Bowl (aside from Flacco) were washed up anyways”
and Ed lopes off into the sunset…..
Thanks for the memories and good luck!
I have read all these comments. I love the Ravens and I love Ed. However, each of the past 3 years, he has threatened to retire during the off-season, and then he comes around at the end. He has a serious neck condition and he rarely tackles with authority anymore. I truly believe he is not worth $4m a year for 2 years and I suppose Oz sees it the same way. I can think of a dozen or more Ravens who have been cut or who were not re-signed in recent years and everybody around here moaned and groaned. Yet many or most of those guys have flopped after leaving B’more. Maybe Ed will make all pro in ’13 and maybe not. Either way, I will miss him. Yet, like all those other years, life goes on. You will be making a big mistake to count the Ravens out even in 2013. Trust me on this.
At least he didn’t kill anybody or obstruct JUSTICE in a Capital Murder investigation
All in all, a pretty standup dude
To address Ed’s “leadership” role:
1. Over the course of his career Ed Reed has been a true student of the game, and has been, for the most part, his own coach. He’s been so good for so many years that it’s been tolerated by the various Ravens coaching staffs and DCs. But that’s not really what you want out of a true TEAM leader. Ed studied film as much if not more than some NFL coaches. And that’s great. But in many fundamental ways Ed Reed is uncoachable, and that is NOT what you want out of a team leader.
2. Ed’s play on the field has often resulted in his gambling — and losing — and failing to give over the top support for his CBs, despite the fact that he often plays 20 yards off the ball. Again, that’s not what a real “leader” does. (And his play over the past 2 years has been shocking at times in his on the field failures.)
3. After tough losses it was not unusual for both Ed Reed and Ray Lewis to duck out and avoid reporter’s questions. Again…that’s NOT the mark of a true team leader.
4. Ed Reed has a LONG history of whining in the press about how he’s not getting paid enough money, and how he’s not happy with how things are being done, etc. Again…not really the mark of a true team leader.
In his prime Ed Reed was a true one of a kind player, and his place in Canton is reserved. But the Ed Reed that the Texans just signed is a shell of his former self. And his shortcomings are going to be exaggerated as his skill level continues to wane.
Win-win for both sides, really. It stinks, but its the business side of things.
Ed was the man, though. I don’t think I have ever seen a player so single-handedly dominate a game the way he did against the Skins in 2004. Just amazing.
Let the chants of “well Ed was old and busted anyway” begin from Ravens fans — the same ones who were bragging about how great he was just a few days ago! It is truly hilarious to read your comments now. (Especially yours, sbaltimore.)
Yes, it is now safe to tell us how lame Ed is now, Ravens fans… now that Ed is gone.