Checking in on Pitta and Ravens

Time will tell whether the Baltimore Ravens will keep free-agent TE Dennis Pitta with the team next season, but if he were to hit the open market, Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com suggests the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots as logical landing spots for him.

Those teams make sense, since the Falcons lost future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez to retirement, the Packers could lose Jermichael Finley to free agency, and the Pats still are looking for a replacement for Aaron Hernandez and are waiting to see if Rob Gronkowski will ever get healthy again.

However, talk about Pitta leaving the Ravens as a free agent likely is a moot point due to the franchise tag.

"I don't think there is any doubt that the Baltimore Ravens will use the franchise tag on Dennis Pitta if they can't reach a deal in six days. The only question is how much Pitta should get paid under the tag," wrote ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley.

Using the tag on Pitta could get complicated, because he lined up more often as a WR than a TE this past season, meaning he may want to get paid the higher price that comes via the WR tag ($11.6 million) rather than the TE tag ($6.8 million). However, Hensley suggests that a comprise could be in the offing: