Though talks have been ongoing for several weeks, the Baltimore Ravens have yet to reach an agreement with quarterback Joe Flacco, the team’s first-round pick in the 2008 draft.
“We’re progressing,”
agent Joe Linta told ESPN.com’s James Walker on Tuesday. “Hopefully we can continue to make progress as we aim to get him into camp on time.”
The other quarterback drafted in round one, Matt Ryan of the Falcons, is already under contract. Last year, both of the two first-rounder signal-callers, JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn, had lengthy holdouts.
And Flacco should learn from last year’s decision by Quinn to avoid camp for so long. Quinn’s delayed arrival allowed Derek Anderson to begin the season at No. 2 behind Charlie Frye, which put Anderson in position to relieve Frye after he stunk it up in Week One. Anderson thereafter established a stranglehold on the job, and now Quinn enters his second season stuck on the bench.
If Flacco fails to get to camp on time, he might eventually find himself behind a starting quarterback who is able to play loose and relaxed because he realizes that it’s only a matter of time before Flacco takes over. By this time next year, Flacco could be the next Brady Quinn.
