Joe Theismann Gladly Offers Ray Lewis Advice on Free Agency

I'm guessing Ray Lewis didn't expect to be five days into free agency and still without a team. Surely the Cowboys, a club in need of a locker room leader, would throw millions at Lewis to lure him to Dallas. Or even more likely: new Jets head coach -- and former Ravens' defensive coordinator -- Rex Ryan would bring the cornerstone of those suffocating Baltimore defenses north to New York, whatever the cost.

A month ago, both scenarios seemed eminently plausible. Now, after the Jets signed former Ray-Ray teammate Bart Scott to a six-year, $48 million deal, and the Cowboys opted to go with low-key Keith Brooking, Lewis' options have been reduced to ... well, the Ravens. A team he allegedly declared dead to him on Friday morning only to change his mind when it became clear that nobody else was interested in services.

Ray passed on the three-year, $24 million contract ($17 guaranteed) Baltimore offered prior to free agency. Interestingly, the $8 million-per-season average salary is what Scott will make with the Jets, although nobody on the planet thinks Scott is the better player of the two. And for Ray, that's presumably part of the problem. Not to worry, though; Joe Theismann eagerly offers his unsolicited advice on the matter:

"As a player of Ray's stature, you don't maintain a sense of reality," former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann said Monday in a telephone interview. "There are few places for him to go in the first place, economically. In Ray's situation, you look at some of the numbers that lesser known, less accomplished younger players are getting and you think, 'Why can't I get a piece of that?'

"In Ray's case, the reality is that there aren't a whole lot of options for him. The way you drive up the price is to have a lot of suitors for your talent. That's the only way to get that done is to negotiate with other teams. Truthfully, Ray Lewis has made more money than he can spend in his lifetime."

All solid points, for sure. But the fact that we've been reduced to Theismann giving behavioral economics lessons is a clear indication that Lewis and his agent need to re-think their strategy. Because as it stands, the Ravens have all the leverage. A scenario, no doubt, Ray never considered.

On the upside, if Lewis returns to Baltimore, he'll still be able to do that contrived pre-game dance. Well, unless the team writes that out of his next contract, too.