J. Lewis may get franchise label
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:37 am
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Lewis exploring options
<Feb. 23> The Ravens decision not to tag Lewis could signal his departure, the Baltimore Sun reports. The move does not preclude the Ravens from re-signing Lewis, but the former All-Pro does not see that happening.
"My gut feeling is I won't be back," Lewis told The Sun. "They didn't negotiate with me [throughout the season], so why would they negotiate with me now?"
General manager Ozzie Newsome informed Lewis of the move Wednesday morning and told Lewis the team wanted to give him a chance to test the market and see what his value is. The team issued a statement on Wednesday claiming, "We will still consider the possibility of talking to Jamal about a long-term contract."
Their probable course of action is to let Lewis and backup Chester Taylor test the free-agent market and try to re-sign one of them if they don't receive the value they're seeking.
However, Lewis is already envisioning a "fresh start", saying he would be interested in playing for the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots or division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
"[Steelers coach] Bill Cowher has always complimented me whenever we played them," Lewis said. "Any team that wants a running back to carry 25 to 30 times a game, I'm here. I'm a horse. They just need to run me."