The Facts:
Following up on the previous item. ... After essentially two seasons lost, Pitta isn't ready to walk away from his NFL career, and the Ravens will allow him to continue to work through the process in Baltimore. On Wednesday, the Ravens officially announced a contract restructure that will keep Pitta in Baltimore as he attempts to return from a second major hip dislocation and fracture. "Dennis wants to continue his playing career, and we want to give him that opportunity," GM Ozzie Newsome stated. "We have reworked his contract, and we're excited to help him with his comeback. Everyone here wants Dennis to succeed."
Diehards Line:
Pitta was reportedly due $5 million in base salary ($7.2 million cap hit) this season and was likely not going to be kept at that price. The contract restructure works for both sides. It means the Ravens can still potentially get their star tight end back, and it means Pitta gets another chance with the team that knows him (and his injury) best. Other teams may not have had much interest in a player coming off two major hip injuries who hasn’t played in such a long time. If he can make it back, Pitta will bolster the Ravens’ already strong tight end corps featuring Benjamin Watson, Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle. Pitta was once seemingly quarterback Joe Flacco’s favorite target.