The Ravens and half back Justin Forsett have agreed to a new three year deal to keep him in Baltimore. The contract is worth a total of $9 million amounting to a much larger amount then he got last season. After only receiving a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $730,000, the team made the extra effort to keep Forsett in Baltimore long term. The journeyman runningback tweeted his excitement about getting to stay in Baltimore.
Justin Forsett led the league in average yards per carry with 5.3. After losing so many key free agents, the team was determined to keep Forsett. Both Forsett and General Manager Ozzie Newsome were excited about the reunion.
“Sometimes you have fortunate signings in this business, and Justin was one of those,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. “We were fortunate because he became such a vital part of our on-field success and quickly became a steadying influence in the locker room at an uneasy time for us. He gave us more than we anticipated. From what we expected, he gave us unprecedented production.”
“He fits well into what we do on offense, and he handles all parts of the job effectively, including blocking and receiving,” Newsome said in the statement. “I mentioned this a few weeks ago when we met with the media: Justin is a tremendous leader by example and willing to step up as both a leader and mentor. He is truly a success story, and we’re happy he’ll continue that with us. He earned his new contract.”
Forsett chimed in saying the following.
“I don’t think anybody envisions going to the NFL and being on five teams in seven years,” Forsett said Thursday. “The want to have some stability, some security, and I feel like I got that here in Baltimore. I’m excited about it.”
“I’m as hungry as ever at this point,” Forsett said. “Throughout my whole career, people have been telling me what I can’t do from Pop Warner to high school to college and now in the pros. Even in free agency, throughout my whole career, people have been saying ‘OK, you’re too short, you’re too slow, you’re too small.’ Throughout free agency, I would hear, ‘he’s a little too old.’ There’s always something and I’m hungry to go out and show that I’m only going to get better with time.”
Now we will get to see if Forsett can prove he was not a one year wonder. The loss of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will be a huge blow to the running game. The three million a year salary is a manageable cap number to give money to look elsewhere for talent. With holes at wide receiver, tight end, and in the secondary, the Ravens will need to shop wisely with limited funds.
