Getty Images
We are gathering more information about the Baltimore Ravens’ unconventional decision to dismiss multiple players after the loss at the end of the season to Bills.
As explained earlier, any player claimed under exemptions will now not officially join his new team until after the Super Bowl. If, however, the player goes through unclaimed waivers, he immediately becomes a free agent.
This arrangement allowed cornerback Tramon Williams, dismissed earlier this week by the Ravens and unclaimed, to sign with the Packers. Whether to also allow running back Mark Ingram to sign with one of the remaining teams, now that he has released the exemptions.
A team could have claimed Ingram on exemptions simply to keep him away, for example, from the Bills. This happened in 2002, when Washington dismissed Deion Sanders from the reserve / retirees list so he could sign with the Raiders for the Super Bowl. The Chargers claimed Sanders for resignation, a vindictive move by former Washington coach Marty Schottenheimer, whose signing in Washington eventually led Sanders to retire.
It’s the kind of movement that probably would have been met with frustration by Ingram, who probably wants to pursue his first NFL championship. You can also remove other players from the team that does.
As for the Ravens, they dismissed these players for the opposite reason. By giving players a chance to land with another team after leaving Baltimore in the postseason, instead of crouching over them until after the Super Bowl, the Ravens scored points with other players who may be thinking of joining the Ravens in the future.
As for Ingram, having released the resignations, he can now be signed by one of the remaining teams.