Ravens Trade DT Haloti Ngata To Detroit Lions
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Ravens have traded DT Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.
"Haloti has been an outstanding player for us for many years," Newsome stated. "He consistently showed tremendous leadership in our locker room and on the field. At times, he was one of the NFL's most dominant players."
Added head coach John Harbaugh: "Haloti is a great player, but an even better person. He has been an anchor of our success for many years. We appreciate everything he has done for our organization and the Baltimore community. We wish he and his family nothing but the best."
The Ravens tried, but were unable to work out a restructured contract with Ngata. They trade their long time defensive star to the Detroit Lions in exchange for two draft picks.
Ngata was a Ravens first-round draft pick in 2006 and played all nine season of his NFL career in Baltimore.
Five times voted to the Pro Bowl, and when he signed his last big contract, he was the highest paid defensive lineman in the NFL.
By trading Ngata to Detroit, the Ravens free up about $8 million in salary cap space needed in their attempts to acquire other free agents.
The Ngata trade is the latest in a series of notable Ravens departures. Tight end Owen Daniels agreed to a three year, $12 million deal with the Denver Broncos and receiver Torrey Smith officially signed his free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
No word yet on running back Justin Forsett, who's also free to sign with another team.
According to our media partner, The Baltimore Sun, Torrey Smith's new contract with the 49ers is worth $40 million, with $22 million guaranteed.