Cornerback Lardarius Webb has seen plenty of his longtime teammates leave the Ravens over the years, but none of them had the same impact as the trade of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the Lions last week.
Webb called the news of Ngata’s departure “the biggest shock” he’s experienced in the NFL and that his “heart just dropped” when he found out. The response wasn’t limited to the thought of playing without Ngata next season.
Webb’s $8 million salary has led to the kind of talk about a pay cut or restructuring that preceded Ngata’s departure. Webb says there have been talks about his contract, but doesn’t know what the result will be and that left him wondering about his future in Baltimore.
“Am I next?,” Webb said, via the Baltimore Sun. “That’s how I felt. Man, if Haloti’s gone, I know I’m not here. But I mean, [general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] knows what he’s doing,” Webb continued. “I trust in Ozzie, the organization, Coach [John Harbaugh]. There is no place I would rather be than here. I’m loved here, the organization loves me, I love them. And I know I can improve on some of my play -- I didn’t have my greatest season last year -- but I’m a Raven. I’m a Raven for life.”
Cutting Webb would create just $2 million in immediate cap space, which gives him some leverage in contract talks. If the Ravens land an agreement with another corner that they like, however, that might be enough for them to move on from another veteran defender.
