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(Updated: 12:25 p.m.)
Free-agent fullback Vonta Leach has weighed his options on the open market and is apparently leaning toward a return to the Ravens.
A report from the Newark Star-Ledger says the 31-year-old will make a decision on his 2013 destination Friday and is expected to accept Baltimore’s offer to rejoin the defending Super Bowl champions. Leach was released in early June in a cap-related move after he was scheduled to make a $3 million base salary in the final season of a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2011. It is likely the Ravens would include incentives in any agreement reached with the bruising fullback.
Several media reports, however, have since disputed the notion that Leach would make a decision by Friday but confirmed that all signs point to him returning to Baltimore.
General manager Ozzie Newsome deemed Leach expendable after the Ravens drafted Harvard fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the fourth round of April’s draft. However, Baltimore made it clear that Leach could be an option to return if he found a lukewarm free-agent market for his services.
“He added to our toughness and will to win, plus he provided leadership,” Newsome said on June 11. “He’s a good football player. There could be an opportunity for him to return to the Ravens once he explores the free-agent market, and we could revisit this before or during training camp.”
Other teams to show interest in the three-time Pro Bowl fullback include the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans, but it’s believed that none of those teams have trumped Newsome’s offer.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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