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Derrick Mason's days in Baltimore are over according to Ravens' beat writer, Jamison Hensley, due to the fact that he is no longer considered a priority by the front office executives.Why is the teams all-time receiving yardage leader (until Todd Heap breaks it this season if Mason retires) in just five years no longer a priority you may ask? I'm sure we can all figure that out if we haven't been under a rock for the past day.
The Baltimore Ravens completed a deal to bring in one of the better receivers in the NFL, and finally got themselves a premier number one target for young Joe Flacco.
The Ravens sent third and fourth round selections to Arizona for Anquan Boldin and a fifth round pick. The Ravens immediately granted Boldin with the long-term deal he had sought after in Arizona since Larry Fitzgerald was extended. Boldin signed a four-year, $28 million contract.
Mason may have burned the bridge for himself sooner than this weekend's Boldin deal did when he retired after the 2008 season, came back for 2009, but recently opted not to re-sign prior to free agency kicking off.
The Ravens are not bitter towards Mason, but just don't see him as "their guy" at receiver anymore, and you can't fault them for that. The real question is whether Mason is willing to play as a number two and compliment Boldin, or if he's content with hanging it up.
Mason can be a great number two for his age after putting up his third straight 1,000 yard season. He has failed to reach 1,000 one time in his last nine seasons.
However, he's shown that he's already willing to call it a career when retiring last off-season. If he is interested in coming back, the Ravens will gladly try and work out a contract.
The Dolphins and Patriots have been trhown in the conversation, but if Mason isn't Baltimore's number two next season, he'll be watching from his nice house on Sunday's.
