(Getty Images)Ed Reed will be entering the final year of his six-year, $44.4 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. As a team leader, perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Famer, he believes the Baltimore Ravens should have already locked him up beyond 2012. Since they haven't, the 33-year-old isn't pleased.
He spoke about his contract status to WJZ in Baltimore (via The Baltimore Sun), doing so with great rhetorical flourish and countless different pronouns:
"When I'm on the football field, I'm giving you everything. Do the Ravens know that? Yes they do. Did [general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] know that Ed Reed was going to be playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers regardless of negotiating his contract? Yes he did. Did Ed Reed get the respect that he deserves? No he did not. Am I gonna get it? Probably won't. Hopefully he do. If I don't, then, hey man, I'm alright with me. [...]
"Do I deserve a good substantial amount? I mean you look at Peyton [Manning]. Peyton got five [years] for $96 [million]? I know I'm not a quarterback, but at the end of the day they pay certain positions certain ways."
Is Ed Reed one of the greatest defensive players of our generation? Absolutely.
Does he deserve more respect from the Ravens? This depends on whether you believe they've been disrespectful. But if anyone deserves respect in the NFL, it's Reed.
Will this blow over by training camp? Probably.
Is this -- a team holding all the power over an aging veteran -- the way it usually works in the NFL? Unfortunately, yes.
Thanks, NFL.com
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