Ray Rice Reaches Five-year Deal with Ravens

Ray Rice Reaches Five-year Deal with Ravens
Fitzgerald Cecilio

NFL 2011 - Double Trouble Running Backs
Ray Rice

Baltimore, MD

Running back Ray Rice reached common ground with the Baltimore Ravens before the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year deals, agreeing to a five-year, $40 million deal.

The Pro Bowl rusher is set to receive $17 million in 2012 and $25 million over the next two years. Earlier, the Ravens used the franchise tag on Rice for $7.7 million.

Rice agreed to the deal just hours after Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte signed a four-year, $32 million agreement after rejecting the franchise tag worth $7.74 million.

Earlier, fellow running backs Arian Foster signed a five-year, $43.5 million deal with the Houston Texans while LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles received a five-year extension worth a reported $45 million.

"Ray has been an integral part of us earning the playoffs in each of his four seasons, and that includes helping us get to two AFC Championship Games. His production on the field speaks for itself, and his leadership in the locker room is outstanding," GM Ozzie Newsome said in a statement.

"I should say something about his community efforts; I think they are almost unmatched by any player in the NFL. You'd have a hard time finding a player who does more or is as serious about helping others as Ray is. He is one of those players you can proudly say, he's on our team," he added.

Rice is Baltimore's offensive engine and led the league with 2,068 yards from scrimmage in 2011, his second Pro Bowl season. He scored 12 rushing touchdowns and three receiving scores last year.

With Rice's signing, Newsome can now focus on extending quarterback Joe Flacco, who has just one year remaining on his rookie contract.

A record 21 players were tagged this offseason, but only 12 landed multi-year pacts. Six have already signed their tender but will not receive an extension in 2012, including Redskins tight end Fred Davis, Browns kicker Phil Dawson, Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, Bengals kicker Mike Nugent, Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer and Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker.