Baltimore Ravens Expected To Franchise Tag Ray Rice On Friday

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to franchise tag their star running back Ray Rice on Friday. Teams have until March 5th to designate a franchise player on their roster. The franchise tag number for the running back position sits at $7.7 million. While Rice will get his money this coming season, he would prefer a long-term deal.

“The meeting went fine,” Rice’s agent Todd France told the Carroll County Times. “We obviously know the tag is coming, but we will continue to have open dialogue and see if we can come to a long-term agreement, which is the preference for both sides.”

Last season, Rice set a franchise record with 15 total touchdowns and set a career-high with 1,364 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

If history tells the right story, it will only be a matter of time until the Ravens and Rice work out the long-term deal, which Rice prefers.

“Yeah, I definitely prefer long-term over franchise tag,” Rice said. “I’m not going to complain about the franchise tag, either. It puts yourself in a position where you play that year out and guys have done it, but I prefer the long-term. That’s what Baltimore, the city, the fans, they would love to know that Ray Rice is going to be here, not just one year, but for many years to come.”

So as it stands now, the franchise tag is coming on Friday and a long-term deal should follow.

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