Baltimore Ravens Make First Big Post-Lockout Move, Release Several Stars

The Baltimore Ravens are the first news-makers on what may be the busiest day in NFL history. Yet the Ravens won't be the last to make a major move, as every single football team in the league has a lot of time to make up for. For the next week or so, the post-lockout era will consist of rapid free agency deals, trades, and every other move that couldn't be made in the last five months. At the moment, it appears the first team out of the gate is Baltimore, which is cutting three of its most well-known offensive players.

Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap have been productive for Baltimore for years. But according to ESPN, all three will be released by the team Thursday, right after it becomes legal to do so. Mason is 37 and no longer the club's biggest wide receiver, McGahee is no longer the go-to wide receiver, and Heap is 31 and recovering from a hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, this is a sudden shift, but sudden news like this will be the norm in the NFL this month. With the most abbreviated free-agency period of all time coming up, a lot of players are going to be blindsided, even those who weren't at the center of trade or release rumors during the lockout.

With such little time to make a splash, teams like the Ravens need to find cap room in a hurry. Releasing three productive offensive players from a team not known for its offense is a gamble, yet Baltimore might not lose much from it. In fact, according to the Baltimore Sun, the team is only releasing Mason and Heap so they can be re-signed for less money. But McGahee is probably gone for good, since Ray Rice is the primary running back now.

This is a risky endeavor for the Ravens, as they have to re-sign the released players, get them back under the salary cap, and pursue big free agents all at once. Juggling so many tasks is usually easy over an entire offseason, but doing so in the span of a week or two is much more dangerous. Yet, thanks to the lockout, the Ravens and every other NFL team has to play this high-stakes game.

Since this particular franchise is among the Super Bowl contenders, it is even more important for the team to jump ahead first and get an edge in this short offseason, especially over the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers. If it pays off to get someone like Nnamdi Asomugha, who could make the Ravens feared defense even more powerful, then such news would shoot Baltimore up the list of championship favorites but drop it down a few pegs if it doesn't pan out.

Sources

ESPN- "Ravens will cut Derrick Mason"

Baltimore Sun- "Ravens to release Heap and Mason in surprise cuts"

Bleacher Report- "NFL Free Agency: Is Nnamdi Asomugha Being Targeted By The Baltimore Ravens?"