OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The divorce between the Ravens and Eugene Monroe became official Wednesday after the veteran left tackle’s contract was terminated.
A day after head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that general manager Ozzie Newsome was in trade discussions regarding Monroe’s services, Baltimore officially parted ways with the 29-year-old, who signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract in 2014 that included $17.5 million guaranteed. Despite missing a total of four games in his first five NFL seasons, Monroe started just 17 of 34 games over the last two seasons as he was sidelined with a variety of ailments.
It became apparent early this offseason that the Ravens were ready to move on from Monroe, first attempting to re-sign standout guard Kelechi Osemele to play left tackle permanently and then taking Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley with their earliest draft pick in 16 years. The veteran tackle’s stance on medical marijuana has also grabbed headlines over the last few months with Monroe even posting on Twitter last week that he felt the organization was distancing itself from him and his position.
By cutting him after June 1, the Ravens save $6.5 million in salary cap space while carrying $2.2 million in dead money. The 2017 salary cap will also carry $4.4 million in dead money from Monroe’s contract.
The frustration with Monroe likely boiled over in Week 11 last year when he exited with a shoulder injury before his replacement, James Hurst, was then pushed into starting quarterback Joe Flacco’s left knee, causing his season-ending ACL injury late in a 16-13 win over St. Louis. That would prove to be Monroe’s final game with the Ravens as he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery the following month.
Monroe had been cleared to return to the practice field last week, but the Ravens held him out of the first day of minicamp while attempting to trade him. According to NFL Network, the New York Giants were interested in Monroe but not at his $6.5 million salary for 2016 as well as his $6.75 million salaries for the final two years of his contract.
A first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009, Monroe was traded to the Ravens on Oct. 1, 2013 and played well in 11 games, prompting Newsome to invest a long-term contract in the University of Virginia product.
