DT Michael Pierce agrees to pay cut as Ravens continue to clear cap space


Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce agreed to take a $2 million pay cut as part of a contract restructure that will give the team about $2.7 million in salary cap space.

Pierce, 30, signed a three-year, $16.5 million deal to return to the Ravens before last season but played just three games before he had season-ending surgery to repair a torn biceps. He was a candidate to be cut as the Ravens clear cap space to accommodate the $32.4 million nonexclusive franchise tag they placed on quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Instead, the Ravens will keep an interior run stuffer who was playing well before his injury last season. Pierce played his first four seasons in Baltimore before he signed a free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. Though he played at least 14 games every year during his initial stint with the Ravens, he has not played more than eight games in a season since 2019.

Pierce could earn back much of his pay cut if he meets a series of incentives.

In a previous move to clear cap space, the Ravens reportedly agreed to trade starting safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets for a 2024 seventh-round pick. They still have to clear more than $2 million to become compliant by Wednesday afternoon but might be able to hit that mark with further contract restructures instead of by cutting key players such as defensive end Calais Campbell or running back Gus Edwards.

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