Friday, February 22, 2013
Post-Birk plans at C for Ravens
By Tim Kavanagh
When the Baltimore Ravens signed veteran C Matt Birk away from the Minnesota Vikings back in 2009, they knew that he wouldn't be playing the next 10 seasons; so the four quality campaigns they got were a nice return. Birk plans to announce at a community event on Friday that he is going to retire after being a part of the Ravens' latest Super Bowl-winning team, according to ESPN AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley.
First off, while it's tough to see Birk go, the cap-strapped Ravens will get $2 million slashed from their cap figure with the move, so that's a positive. As for the on-field replacement, the Ravens invested a fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft on Gino Gradkowski, foreseeing him as the eventual successor to Birk. That eventuality has now become the reality in 2013.
