“Slim” chance Jared Gaither re-signs with Ravens
 

Posted by Josh Alper on February 1, 2011, 11:00 AM EST
Jared Gaither

The one thing that the Ravens would need to know from Jared Gaither is something that he can’t possible tell them when they sit down to talk on Wednesday.

The Ravens need to know if they can count on Gaither to both practice and play in games for them during the 2011 season if they are going to re-sign him. That’s impossible to know in February when Gaither is coming off a year lost to a foot injury that may have resulted from his showing up at camp in poor shape as a result of back problems and unhappiness with the lack of a contract extension.

The injury problems are bad enough, but the questions about his work ethic raised by last summer’s issues have made it hard for the Ravens to put a full level of trust into Gaither. That explains why a Ravens official told Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun that the chances of Gaither returning for another season were “slim.”

If Gaither does leave, the Ravens will have a big hole on the offensive line. Michael Oher was less effective as a left tackle this season than he was as a rookie on the right side, although that move was planned before Gaither’s injury. Marshal Yanda took over on the right and did okay while simultaneously making it clear he was a better fit at guard. The struggles of the offensive line were fingered as a big reason for Baltimore’s offensive slowdown down the stretch of the regular season, which means the team needs to be sure about the direction they take heading into next year.

The labor uncertainty might actually wind up helping the two sides find a common ground as a short offseason would hamper the Ravens’ ability to replace Gaither with a rookie or a free agent from outside the organization. A lack of trust is a lot to overcome, however, and it would be a major stumbling block to any discussion of a long-term contract with the Ravens.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...s-with-ravens/

I'd love to have him.

Yes please.

Can he play RT or would this be replacing Albert?

Dibs.

RT

Per the CBA, if this team is not active in FA, going after legit players and not left-over trash, I'm going to be annoyed.

There's no excuse. Enough of a foundation is in place to try to accumulate strategic pieces.

Did he play RT this year with the Ravens? I know they moved Oher over to LT.

I will be a little more than annoyed. :)

Forget this. Chiefs aren't going to pay Cassel, Charles, Bowe AND Gaither. Some team is going to drop a huge contract on Gaither and the Chiefs won't be interested in competing.

Bullshit.

Charles has been paid. Cassel's deal is relatively small considering he just earned his first Pro Bowl berth. There's no way Clark Hunt lets Dwayne Bowe walk.

And finally, Gaither isn't going to command a huge salary. I'd be shocked if he gets in the $3 million per year range. He's a right tackle with issues, although I'd take him.

That's kinda my point...the Chiefs have a lot of people to pay.

Based on what? He has 28 starts in the NFL, all at left tackle if I'm not mistaken.

And a lot of money with which to pay them. I expect "team friendly" deals, similar to the one offered Charles, for both Bowe and Flowers.

so the only thing more questionable than his injury is his work ethic? Where do I sign up?

He played left tackle before Oher was drafted. He was "okay" for a 5th rounder but as soon as he was injured, Oher filled in and played much better in 2009 than Gaither (with O'Neil Cousins on the right).

Their plan was to play Gaither on the right side, until he was injured. He's got a questionable work ethic, which is why he was a fifth rounder and he's probably better suited on the right side than the left.

Some team may be willing to pay him left tackle money, but I doubt it. After missing the entire 2010 season to injury, I'll be surprised if there are teams lining up to pay him the big bucks. Most likely, he'll stay in Baltimore as a right tackle.