Ray Rice Gets His Deal with the Baltimore Ravens – Wes Welker Not So Much

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice wanted a long term deal, and he got it with just minutes left before the NFL deadline for franchise tagged players to sign new contracts was up. Rice gets around $40 million over five years, with $17 million for next season alone. That average salary puts Rice in the same company as Chicago's Matt Forte, who also signed earlier today.

Had Rice and the Ravens not come to an agreement, he would have played the season under the franchise tag for about $7.7 million.

The other big story is that New England didn't bother giving Wes Welker his extension before the deadline passed, meaning that Welker, who has the most catches in the NFL since 2007, will play this season out for $9.5 million and probably be out of New England after that.