The opening game of the 2013 season will be Ravens at Broncos.
The rematch of last year's wild Division Round playoff game that saw Torrey Smith put Champ Bailey under a tombstone will be a Thursday night game on NBC. The defending Super Bowl champions always get to open up at home, but the Ravens will have to travel thanks to a conflict with the Orioles. The full 2013 NFL schedule will be released at 8 p.m. ET Thursday night.

The agent for Joe Flacco said he "really views" his client's new contract as a three-year pact.
Officially, the deal is for six years and $120.6 million. But in 2016, the Ravens would have to take a $28.55 million cap hit -- something that is unlikely to happen. Even Flacco's agent expects to restructure at that point. "Depending on the salary cap, that's what will determine when we get to the fourth year, what they're going to have to do," said player rep Joe Linta. "We really viewed this as sort of a three-year deal to make sure the first three years Joe was paid accordingly with the top guys in the league."

Sirius XM Radio's Adam Caplan reports Joe Flacco's six-year, $120.6 million contract contains $52 million guaranteed.
Drew Brees' five-year, $100 million deal -- the previous quarterback standard -- contains "only" $40 million guaranteed. Per Caplan, Flacco will have a highly manageable 2013 cap number of $6.8 million, allowing Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome to aggressively pursue re-signing core free agents. Flacco will make $51 million over the first two seasons. He gets $62 million over the first three.

Updating a previous item, Joe Flacco's new deal with the Ravens is for six years and $120.6 million.
The $20.1 million annual average over six years makes Flacco the highest-paid player in NFL history, slightly more than Drew Brees' five-year, $100 million deal signed last offseason. There's still no word on how much is guaranteed, what the signing bonus is, or what the total payout will be over the first three years. These numbers are all far more important than the years and potential total amount over the life of the deal. For now, Flacco is the top dog.

FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reports the Ravens and Joe Flacco have agreed to a long-term deal, and it will be signed on Monday.

NFL Network's Albert Breer reports talks between the Ravens and Joe Flacco "could pick up" again on Friday night or Saturday via phone.
Breer has been told recent talks have been "fine," but there are "gaps to bridge." Breer also points out that the Ravens have a nice history of hammering out deals right at the deadline, pointing to Ray Rice last season, as well as Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata in recent memory. We'd still put the odds in favor of the Ravens and Flacco working out a deal before the franchise-tag deadline at 4:00 PM ET on Monday.

The NFL has set the 2013 salary cap at $123.9 million, up from $120.6 million in 2012.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport initially reported the cap would be $123 million flat, but ESPN's Chris Mortensen says after accounting for league revenues, it gets a $900,000 bump. It's not a major spike, but it gives teams a little more breathing room than we were expecting. It could be the difference in keeping a veteran or signing a free agent.

The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson says there is "nothing much happening" between Joe Flacco and the Ravens.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport agrees and says the two sides haven't talked since leaving the Combine on Tuesday. As always with contract negotiations, things can change at the snap of the fingers. The odds of Flacco not wearing Ravens purple next year are minuscule.

Talks between the Ravens and free agent Joe Flacco "remain active," but no deal is imminent.
Per sources, "plenty of work remains to be done to reach an agreement." Speaking Tuesday, Flacco's rep said he's confident Tom Brady's below-market extension will have "no impact whatsoever" on negotiations. It remains unclear if the Ravens will use the exclusive or non-exclusive franchise tag if a deal cannot be reached before Monday's deadline to apply the tag.

Free agent Joe Flacco's rep expects Tom Brady's team-friendly extension with the Patriots to have "no impact whatsoever" on Flacco's negotiations with the Ravens.
"It doesn't matter," rep Joe Linta correctly asserted. "It's an extension for cap purposes. ... The bottom line is, whether Brady took a pay cut or took $27 million a year, it wouldn't have an impact on what we're doing. We've determined a number that we think is fair with respect for the Ravens' cap situation." Linta also said talks are "going fine" with the Ravens. "We're moving forward. This thing could be done in three minutes or three years."

Tom Brady's new contract lowers the 2013 exclusive franchise tag number from $20.46 million to $19.63 million.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports the Ravens and free agent Joe Flacco are "plugging away" on a new deal.
A source estimates the sides have spent eight hours negotiating over the past week. This jibes with speculation that both sides want a new deal in place ahead of the March 4 deadline to apply the franchise tag, though Flacco's rep told Profootballtalk on Saturday there was a "long way to go."

Profootballtalk's Mike Florio reports "current speculation" from the Combine is that the Ravens will slap free agent Joe Flacco with the non-exclusive franchise tag.
It'd be a massive gamble by Baltimore. The Ravens would then put all of their trust into Flacco bringing any offer he receives back to them before signing. Florio points out the chances of Flacco leaving remain small, but the non-exclusive tag would give quarterback-needy teams (Arizona, Cleveland?) a window of opportunity to put the full-court press on the Super Bowl MVP. The non-exclusive tender carries a $14.6 million price. Baltimore has until March 4 to make its move.

The player rep for free agent Joe Flacco tells Profootballtalk.com that there's "a long way to go" before Flacco's camp reaches a long-term deal with the Ravens.
Agent Joe Linta visited with Ravens brass Friday night in their first serious meeting since last August. Linta called it "a good start," but a deal is not imminent. The franchise-tag window closes two Mondays from now, so the sides still have time. The Ravens would prefer to avoid tagging Flacco. Linta is attempting to put pressure on the franchise by sending messages through the media.

Updating a previous item, free agent Joe Flacco's meeting with Ravens officials will take place on Friday night.
"Both sides" want a deal done before the March 4 franchise-tag deadline, and they're tentatively expected to reach an agreement. ESPN's Ed Werder has suggested Tony Romo in Dallas is waiting to see Flacco's deal before beginning his own negotiations with the Cowboys. Flacco's contract will be a market setter.

Profootballtalk.com reports the Ravens' first contract meeting with free agent Joe Flacco will happen Friday night or Saturday.

Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta told PFT Live that there is virtually no chance of free agent Joe Flacco leaving Baltimore.
"Probably negligible," DeCosta said. "We have no intentions of letting Joe Flacco leave Baltimore." Both Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN have predicted this week that the Ravens will re-sign Flacco before the Combine ends.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen echoed a previous Adam Schefter report, predicting that Joe Flacco will finalize a new contract with the Ravens before the Scouting Combine ends.
The Combine lasts through next Tuesday. "It would be a surprise if this deal isn't done during the next 5-6 days," Mortensen said on NFL 32. "... I'd look for a deal to get done while both sides are (in Indy)." It sounds like the Ravens won't have to decide whether to franchise tag Flacco exclusively or non-exclusively. Expect a mammoth, six- or seven-year deal worth $20M annually.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on NFL Live that "a lot of people around the league" believe the Ravens will sign free agent Joe Flacco to a long-term contract "by the end of the Combine."
It'd be an ideal scenario for both sides, as Baltimore would then be able to draw up its free-agency plan. Currently, the Ravens are handicapped without Flacco's cap number on the books. If Baltimore signed Flacco by early March, GM Ozzie Newsome wouldn't have to use the franchise tag and could move forward with attempts to re-sign Dannell Ellerbe and Bryant McKinnie, among others.

CBS' Jason La Canfora expects the Ravens and free agent Joe Flacco to maintain a "regular dialogue" between now and the March 4 deadline to apply the franchise tag.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Ravens officials will meet face to face at this week's NFL Scouting Combine with agent Joe Linta regarding Joe Flacco's contract situation.
It'll be the Ravens' first face-to-face meeting with Linta since August. At that time, Baltimore was offering $16-17 million annually. Meantime, the stakes have been raised significantly by Flacco's Super Bowl MVP and playoff run, and Linta is expected to ask the Ravens for in excess of $20 million per year.

Contract talks between the Ravens and free agent Joe Flacco could resume later this week at the Combine.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens still haven't decided if they will use the exclusive franchise tag or less cumbersome non-exclusive tag. The non-exclusive tag would allow Flacco to negotiate with other clubs, though any team that signs Flacco to an offer sheet would have to surrender two first-round picks if the Ravens chose not to match. There's a wide belief around the league Flacco would draw interest if slapped with the non-exclusive tag. The Ravens have between now and March 4 to apply the tag. We ultimately expect them to play things safe and go with the exclusive tag.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer fully expects the Ravens to use the exclusive franchise tag on free agent Joe Flacco.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport says there are no talks scheduled between Joe Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, and the Ravens yet, but they could happen this week.
There really is no rush to get into negotiations, and teams typically wait until the Scouting Combine to kick-start talks with their own free agents. Teams will flock to Indianapolis in nine days for the event, and we'll start hearing much more then. If a long-term deal is unable to be reached, the Ravens have the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags at their disposal. The deadline to apply the franchise tag is March 4, and free agency opens on March 12.

SI's Peter King isn't "so sure" the Ravens will use the exclusive-rights franchise tag on free agent Joe Flacco.
King believes it's "actually possible" the Ravens use the non-exclusive tag, and that Flacco could be "stolen by a quarterback-needy and starved-for-relevance team." King concedes it's not "probable," but floats the Browns, Cardinals and Bills as possible pursuers should Flacco receive the non-exclusive tag. King seems particularly keen on the idea of Cleveland making a run. Per King, the Ravens and Flacco will begin negotiating a long-term deal this week. The deadline to apply the franchise tag is March 4.

Profootballtalk.com reports that teams around the league were already eyeing a potential run at signing free agent Joe Flacco before the NFL playoffs even began.
Per PFT, there are teams willing to pay the franchise tag price -- two first-round picks and a monster contract -- in order to acquire the 28-year-old franchise quarterback. It's further confirmation that the Ravens ought to be kicking themselves for letting Flacco play out his entire contract year. To retain Flacco comfortably, the'll have to affix him with the $20-plus million "exclusive rights" franchise tag, which will cost them both other players and negotiating leverage with Flacco. If the Ravens only assign Flacco the regular franchise tag -- worth under $15 million -- teams like Arizona and Cleveland will surely try to sign him away.

TheSidelineView.com's Adam Caplan believes other teams will pursue free agent Joe Flacco if the Ravens apply the non-exclusive franchise tag.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens are "debating between" using the exclusive-rights franchise tag or non-exclusive tag on free agent Joe Flacco.
The exclusive-rights tag is rarely used, but it's what the Saints slapped on Drew Brees last year. Players are allowed to negotiate with other teams under the non-exclusive tag, but the tagging team has the right to match any offer, and receives two first-round picks as compensation if it decide to pass. Exclusively tagged players can only negotiate with the tagging team. Flacco would earn an eye-popping $20.5 million under the exclusive tag, compared to "only" $14.6 million under the non-exclusive tag. Considering the number of quarterback-needy teams around the league, we'd expect Baltimore to play it safe and use the exclusive tag.

Ravens owner Joe Bisciotti said the Ravens offered Joe Flacco a "top-5 contract" last summer.
Flacco truly is a gambling man. He risked plenty by declining the deal and betting on himself -- and then went out and had one of the great playoff runs in NFL history. Now Flacco's agent is asking for his client to be the highest paid quarterback in the league.

Joe Flacco's agent believes he should be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.
Ergo, player. "When you do a contract of this magnitude, you look at what is the player's body of work presently," Flacco's rep Joe Linta said. "And what are the expectations going forward over the next four, five or six years. Joe wins on both accounts." It's no longer news that Flacco is looking to cash in with a monster deal, but Linta's comments suggest negotiations will be no less contentious than they were between the Saints and Drew Brees last year. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has already said he expects Flacco's new deal to "probably cost (Baltimore) a couple players."

Impending free agent Joe Flacco is "pretty optimistic" about his chances of securing a long-term deal with the Ravens.
"I'm pretty optimistic, but who knows," Flacco said. "This is a great organization. I don't anticipate any problem." After winning Super Bowl MVP and tossing 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions this postseason, Flacco said owner Steve Bisciotti let him know before the season if the day came that he and the team won a Super Bowl, Flacco could "go beat on [Bisciott]'s desk and really put it to him." That's what Flacco plans to do. Bisciotti even noted that Flacco "boosted his leverage" this postseason, even before the Super Bowl win. Baltimore will undoubtedly have to slap him with the exclusive franchise tag if a long-term deal can't be reached, and that carries about a $20.5 million price tag.

Completing 22-of-33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, Joe Flacco was named game MVP as the Ravens downed the 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
Flacco opened the game 6-of-9 for 77 yards and a 130.3 passer rating in the first quarter, including a 13-yard scoring strike to Anquan Boldin. His initial second-quarter drive ended on a rocket-ball touchdown to Dennis Pitta from a yard out. Flacco's biggest pass was actually underthrown late in the first half, as Jacoby Jones came back to secure the 56-yard bomb and danced his way into the end zone for 21-3 first-half lead. Although Flacco's second half wasn't nearly as impressive, Baltimore's offense did just enough to stave off a monster San Francisco point-scoring rally. We believe Jones deserved game MVP, but Flacco is difficult to strongly argue with after a historic preseason, completing 73-of-126 passes for 1,140 yards (9.05 YPA), 11 TDs, and 0 INTs. He's now 9-4 lifetime in playoff games. Expect plenty of Flacco blurbs in the coming weeks as Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome attempts to sign him long term.

According to CBS' Jason La Canfora, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti acknowledges impending free agent Joe Flacco "boosted his leverage" this season, and that his upcoming extension will "probably cost (Baltimore) a couple players."
Bisciotti says the Ravens offered Flacco an annual $16 million "or so" before the season, but sounds resigned to the fact he's going to push for $20 million or more this winter. Some of the players Flacco could "cost" the Ravens are impending free agents CB Cary Williams and OLB Paul Kruger, and perhaps even veteran wideout Anquan Boldin.

The Ravens may be forced to use the exclusive franchise tag on Joe Flacco if a long-term deal is unable to be agreed upon.
The exclusive tag carries an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at that respective player's position. So, at the quarterback spot, it's tentatively believed that will be about $20.464 million in 2013. By being slapped with the exclusive tag, Flacco would be unable to negotiate with another team, and Baltimore would hold all of the negotiating rights. The Ravens are surely kicking themselves for not locking Flacco up when they could have.

Speaking about Joe Flacco's contract situation Tuesday, GM Ozzie Newsome guaranteed he'll be a Raven in 2013.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Total Access Monday night that Joe Flacco intends to target more money than Peyton Manning in contract talks with the Ravens.
Per Rapoport, Flacco and the Ravens will resume negotiations immediately after the Super Bowl. "I'm told his camp believes he is playing better than Peyton Manning," Rapoport reported. "Manning makes ($19.2M) a year; expect them to shoot higher than that." The $20 million-per-year figure is clearly Flacco's goal. The Ravens ought to be kicking themselves for not locking up Flacco when his asking price was more reasonable late last offseason.

ESPN's John Clayton and Chris Mortensen believe impending free agent Joe Flacco could command over $20 million per season in his new contract.
"He's now made a case for $20 million a year," Clayton said on SportsCenter Monday. "And I think he's gonna try to hold to that. Last season what I was hearing was he was asking for about $17 million. ... (We'll) see if he can get over Drew Brees' contract. I think he can." Mortensen agrees that an annual $20 million is "not unreachable" for the Ravens' quarterback. It would be a ludicrous sum of money for a player with Flacco's solid but unspectacular regular-season r‚sum‚, but his dominating postseason and barren state of the QB position around the league have left him with leverage to spare. If Flacco is intent on playing $20 million hardball, the Ravens may opt to slap him with the $14.642 million franchise tag.

One week after out-dueling Peyton Manning in Denver, Joe Flacco got the better of Tom Brady in New England, completing 21-of-36 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns as the Ravens downed New England 28-13 in the AFC Championship Game.

The player rep for impending free agent Joe Flacco says his client is "proving" he's a "top-five, elite quarterback."
Agent Joe Linta is setting himself up for what figures to be an interesting negotiation this spring. Flacco has started every single game of his Ravens career and won seven playoff games in five years, but he's never thrown for more than 4,000 yards or 25 touchdowns in a season. Franchising Flacco on a one-year tender would cost the Ravens around $14.6 million.

Joe Flacco out-dueled Peyton Manning in Baltimore's scintillating 38-35, double-overtime win over the Broncos in the Divisional Round, completing 18-of-34 passes for 331 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Flacco did lose a fumble, but is one of the primary reasons the Ravens are advancing to their second straight AFC Championship Game. Flacco relentlessly challenged the Broncos downfield, which resulted in two scores of at least 59 yards, and another of 32. His yards per attempt was an eye-popping 9.7. If the impending free agent lost any money during his up-and-down regular season campaign, he likely earned it back today. Now 7-4 all time in the playoffs, Flacco will look to lead the Ravens to their second Super Bowl in either Foxboro or Houston next Sunday.

Joe Flacco completed 12-of-23 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' Wild Card round win over the Colts.
It was quintessential Flacco, struggling throughout the first half before attacking down the field in the final two quarters. Exploiting the Anquan Boldin-Cassius Vaughn matchup, Flacco averaged 23.5 yards per completion while sporting a 125.3 passer rating. The Ravens ended up setting a franchise post-season record with 441 net yards against one of the weakest playoff defenses in history. Flacco's receivers will have more trouble separating in Denver next week.