Pernell McPhee set to part ways with Baltimore Ravens

By Cory Buck | Feb 23, 2015

Oct 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-17. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee is expected to part ways with the team and explore free agency this March.

At some point, the rest of the NFL is going to have to throw a party in honor of the Baltimore Ravens in thanks for all the defensive players this team has groomed and subsequently allowed to hit free agency. In the meantime, the next round of suitors can feast on the latest of Baltimore’s cap casualties.

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The Baltimore Sun writes that outside linebacker Pernell McPhee is expected to demand far more money than the team can afford respective to the salary cap and will explore free agency as a result. He tallied 7.5 sacks in 2014, which should be enough to make him an attractive target for a lucrative offer from a team starved for pass rushing prowess.

The Sun notes, “McPhee is expected to command an annual salary between $8 million and $10 million when free agency begins March 10, according to NFL sources. Among the teams regarded as potential fits for McPhee: the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.”

It’s quite an ascent for a fifth-round pick to command such money in free agency, but that’s just how things roll in Baltimore, where the team has established itself as a veritable factory of defensive stalwarts. In recent years, the Ravens have sent defensive tackle Arthur Jones and linebackers Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerby to the bank for big contracts via free agency, all without seeing much of a dip in defensive play.

While we’re sure the Ravens would love to keep some of these guys, it just doesn’t fit their financial makeup, which is locked up thanks to the big cap figure associated with the last year of DT Haloti Ngata’s deal, as well as Joe Flacco’s mammoth extension.

The formula has been fairly clear in Baltimore for a while now. Built around a few marquee players and keep drafting well to build a cycle of young, cheap talent that can fill in the gaps for a few years at a time before parting ways at its peak cap cost.

This is why you don’t see the Ravens messing around with moving up in the draft or giving up picks in trade. They draft well, they develop well and they build around irreplaceable talents. The latest evidence of such will be Pernell McPhee, who is set to buy a nice new house in a new city thanks to that system.

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