Contract

Joe Flacco had just put his signature ona six-year contract that could pay him as much as $120.6 million and the NFL's newly-minted highest paid player had big plans to celebrate. “I'm going to drive home tonight and just go out to dinner with a couple of people,” said the Ravens' quarterback. “I'm buying, yeah.” Those who know Flacco best insist the 28-year-old is unfazed by fame and fortune but that will now be put to the test. In a little over a month's span, Flacco led his team to their second world championship by playing one of the best ever postseasons by a quarterback, won Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLVII and signed a contract that he hoped will make him a Raven for life.

Former Mount St. Joseph basketball standout Henry Sims has signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets. Sims, who went undrafted after a four-year career at Georgetown, was playing in the NBA D-League for the Erie Bayhawks before signing with the Hornets. He averaged 17.1 points, 9 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots for the Bayhawks and was named to the D-League All-Star Game.  The Hornets lost center/forward Jason Smith for the season with a torn labrum, which prompted the signing for Sims.

Don't look for a $3,000 suit or slicked-back hair. Don't expect to hear empty flattery or bragging about an extensive list of superstar clients. None of that is Joe Linta. "If you met him and he told you he was a sports agent, you wouldn't believe him," says recently retired Ravens center Matt Birk, a client of Linta's for all 15 of his NFL seasons. Linta built his Connecticut-based agency around guys like Birk, who were drafted in the later rounds and became excellent players at unglamorous positions.

Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback now. Forget about Super Bowl rings, conference or division championships, win-loss record and ability. The Ravens made him elite Friday night when the two sides agreed to terms on a six-year, $120.6 million contract that made him the highest paid player in NFL history. Flacco now makes more money than the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees and the Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning. An above average Joe has become "Elite Joe. " The question now is what happens to the Ravens, and where do they go from here as far as signing and re-signing free agents?

Here is what other news outlets are saying about Joe Flacco's six-year, $120.6 million deal with the Ravens. --Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com says Flacco earned his money by playing his best when it really mattered . "Did the Ravens overpay him? Certainly. Should Flacco get paid more than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? No way. But those questions are really irrelevant when it comes to contracts in the NFL, which is all about timing. When Flacco hoisted the Lombardi trophy 26 days ago, he essentially had the Ravens in the palm of his hand as well as having the leverage.

Harford County Public Schools announced Thursday the county school board has reached a tentative contract agreement for next school year with the county's teachers union, the Harford County Education Association. Though the school system did not immediately approve details, the contract calls for teachers to receive a 1 percent cost of living adjustment and a step increment raise, for those eligible, that is typically about 3 percent, the union's president said. Step raises are typically earned during first 15 years of service, after which smaller longevity increases are provided beginning at 20, 25 and 30 years and so on. The Harford County Education Association, or HCEA, represents approximately 3,200 Harford County Public Schools employees, including teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, media specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech and hearing clinicians.

The Ravens' blockbuster $120.6 million contract with quarterback Joe Flacco is an arrangement banking on his future potential and not just how he engineered a Super Bowl victory. Because Flacco is entering the prime of his career at 28 years old, the New Jersey native is now expected to maintain the Ravens' competitiveness. The structure of his deal, which has been agreed to in principle and not signed, reflects that hope as it would make him the highest-paid player in the game.

In a little more than two months, Joe Flacco went from a much-maligned quarterback to Super Bowl Most Valuable Player to the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL. The Ravens agreed to terms with Flacco on a six-year deal worth $120.6 million Friday night, according to team and league sources. There are still some issues to be worked out, but the 28-year-old quarterback is expected to finalize the deal Monday at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills. “We have the parameters of a deal completed with Joe,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she will neither sign nor veto legislation to loosen conflict-of-interest restrictions that have sometimes prevented City Council members from voting on bills. The legislation - sought by Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young - has been approved by the council, and it is expected to become law without the mayor's signature. The bill, sponsored by Young, would lift some ethics restrictions to allow him to vote on matters involving city agencies where his family members work.

Years after a multimillion-dollar contract to replace the state's fleet of aged medevac helicopters caused controversy in Annapolis, two newly purchased aircraft arrived Tuesday at the aviation command of the Maryland State Police. Four more are expected to fly into the police facility at Martin State Airport in Middle River this week, state police said — behind initial schedules for the new fleet's arrival. The four remaining AW139 helicopters of the 10 purchased by the state for $121.7 million also will arrive soon, said Greg Shipley, a state police spokesman.