More On Lewis And Scott

I took some time to read over what I posted yesterday about the possibility of Baltimore Ravens linebackers Ray Lewis and Bart Scott wearing Packers uniforms next season, and I realized that there is one thing I missed that should be addressed.

The Ravens are obviously going to make Lewis their top priority. There is no way they cannot make him a number two based on all he has done for the team and the impact he has on his teammates and the organization. The first thing the Ravens will attempt to do in free agency is sign Lewis to a deal that will keep him in Baltimore until he retires. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be determined, but that is what Ozzie Newsome will try to do, in my mind.

That being said, if Lewis does indeed fly the coup, whether it be to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, or God-knows-where (actually, if you asked Ray, he would say God knows where he’s going to play next year), the Ravens will definitely re-sign Scott. Scott has said he wants to remain in Baltimore for years to come and also said he is willing to take a discount in order to remain. With the space freed up by Lewis’ absence, the 28-year-old linebacker is basically a lock to re-sign a long-term deal with the team he wants to play for.

If Lewis does re-sign, however, the situation gets interesting. Scott would have to take a massive discount in order to fit his salary in with Lewis and recently-franchised linebacker Terrell Suggs. A football fan can’t forget that Baltimore has players other than their linebackers as well, as center Jason Brown headlines the other free agents on the Ravens. Scott will be on the open market and will be sought after by numerous teams. Besides the Packers possibly pursuing him, Scott could be courted by Dallas, New York (I’m sure Rex Ryan would love one of his guys up there), the New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns. I’d set Dallas, New York, and Cleveland as the top three destinations for Scott if he were to hit the market based on the fact Dallas has money, New York has Ryan, and Cleveland has George Kokinis.

But Scott to Green Bay is still a definite possibility. It doesn’t seem that likely, but if Ted Thompson opens the checkbook, who knows who could be in green and gold next season.