Quarterback Joe Flacco expects to get back to the negotiating table with the Ravens over the next few months.
The Ravens franchise quarterback is only heading into the fourth year of a six-year deal, but his salary cap number balloons to a reported $28.5 million next year. Playing at that cap number would hinder what the Ravens can spend during the offseason, and the expectations is for the two sides to work on an extension that flattens out his overall cap hit.
"I know that it's obviously out there and it's probably going to be somewhat of an issue," Flacco said. "I haven't thought about it too much, haven't talked to anybody about it. I do know that it's sitting there."
Trying to negotiate an extension with Flacco is no big surprise, as his agent, Joe Linta, and Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti have both previously talked about wanting to get that done.
The financials of his original deal were designed in a way that would get the two sides back to the negotiating table after the first three years.
His reported salary cap hits in the first three years of the contract were $6.8, $14.8 and $14.5 million. The current cap hits over the next three years are $28.5, $31.1 and $24.7 million.
"You know this day is going to come no matter what you do," Flacco said. "There's no way of getting around a big cap number at some point, or a consistently big cap number. You know the first few years of my deal, the cap number wasn't very big, so you don't really have any other way around it but then to have a monster one at the end of it.
"You know it's coming unless the salary cap makes some kind of an enormous jump, but it's really kind of out of my control. It's an issue that these guys are used to dealing with day in and day out."
Flacco, 30, is entering his ninth season and is currently recovering from the first serious injury of his career. Flacco tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee on Nov. 22, forcing him to miss the final six games of the year.
His hope is to get back in time for the start of training camp and not miss any games in the 2016 season.
