After years of failed pursuits - from David Boston to Terrell Owens to Randy Moss - the Ravens believe they finally landed their big catch.
The Ravens agreed in principle on a five-year deal yesterday with Derrick Mason, plugging their long-standing void in the passing game with a receiver many regarded as the top free-agent wide-out this offseason.
So long, dropped passes. Hello, consistency.
Mason has averaged 86 catches and 1,153 yards over the past four seasons, leading the Tennessee Titans in each of those years. But perhaps the most telling statistic is this: Mason made a career-best 96 catches last season, compared to the Ravens' entire receiving corps' 121.
Improving the NFL's second-worst passing attack will fall heavily on Mason, and he will be paid handsomely to do so. According to a league source, the eight-year veteran will receive a $20 million contract, which includes a $7 million signing bonus and $11 million guaranteed over the first two seasons.
"The signing of Derrick Mason is the most substantial move to date we've made particularly in free agency and the wide receiver position," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "When you take someone of Derrick Mason's caliber, you expect it to have an impact. You're talking about the leading wide receiver in number of catches in the league last year. That's as substantial as anything we've done in the free-agent market since I've been here."
The biggest splash of free agency's opening day nearly was a washout for the Ravens.
Mason, 31, who was a salary cap casualty by the Titans on Feb. 21, made his first visit to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Tuesday. He even underwent a physical, causing many Ravens officials to wonder if they would lose another coveted receiver.
"It came down between the Ravens and New England," said Mason, who will sign his contract with the Ravens today after passing a physical. "The Ravens stepped up to the plate and made things happen for me."
Talks between the Ravens and Mason intensified late Tuesday night and the final details were hammered out yesterday afternoon. For the first time in their 10-year history, the Ravens were a major player on the first day of free agency.
"There's a certain anxiousness," Billick said. "We knew he would be sought after and where he had been ... you worry about that."
The Ravens had reason to worry, considering all of their near-misses with receivers.
In 2003, Boston canceled a visit to Baltimore and signed with the San Diego Chargers, leaving the Ravens to settle for Frank Sanders and Marcus Robinson. Last year, a trade for Owens was rescinded by the NFL, forcing the Ravens to acquire Kevin Johnson.
The frustration continued this offseason, when the Ravens couldn't match the Oakland Raiders' offer to obtain Moss.
None of those veteran pickups - Sanders, Robinson and Johnson - caught more than 35 passes in one-year stints.
So, do the Ravens think Mason can break that trend?
"Yeah, I would hope so," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "The biggest thing is he's a playmaker. We've lacked some quickness at the receiver position and he brings some to us. The other thing is he just fits that Ravens personality that we like to have on our football team and I think he's going to add something to our huddle with his leadership and just the way he carries himself."
If the Ravens couldn't land Mason, they would have had to fill their need for a front-line receiver with an assortment of career No. 2 wide-outs such as T.J. Houshmandzadeh (who has since re-signed with the Bengals), Rod Gardner or Plaxico Burress.
In the Ravens' assessment, Mason was the only option that hit all of their criteria whether it was on or off the field. No one else could have fit as a role model for their inexperienced receiving group of Clarence Moore, Devard Darling and Randy Hymes.
"We said we were going to put a premium on what that individual brought to the team and to the locker room," Billick said. "We could come in here with a different player and still [make an impact], but [having a leader] was on our wish list. I think Derrick Mason embodies that."
Mason, however, doesn't embody the Ravens' typical receiver. At 5 feet 10, 190 pounds, he goes against the Ravens' mold of tall, high-jumping targets. Receivers shorter than 6 feet - Kevin Johnson, Patrick Johnson and Brandon Stokley - have struggled in the Ravens' offense.
The lack of height didn't scare away the Ravens, who said Mason was the only receiver they spoke to this offseason.
Consistently underrated, Mason has proven to play larger than his size. Last season, he was the only receiver to catch 70 percent of the passes thrown his way.
"We were high on his list, and he was high on our list," Newsome said with a grin that lasted throughout his 20-minute news conference.
