Will Hill: Baltimore Ravens should make him top priority

Oct 26, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive back Will Hill (33) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals defeated the Ravens 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Though restricted free agent tenders have not been released yet, I can already guess what the Baltimore Ravens will do with Will Hill: Put a first-round tender on him.

And why not? It will probably be between $3 and $4 million dollars, and it is just a one-year deal. There is no risk involved at all.

Another option would be signing Hill to a long-term deal, something the Ravens probably don’t want to do considering his issues with the NFL’s substance abuse program.

Both options carry risk.

If the Ravens ink Hill to a one-year deal through restricted free agency, Hill will probably go for more money than they can afford next offseason. He has two seasons of tremendous play and production to his credit. A third great season, paired with good behavior off the field, would make Hill among the best paid safeties in the game.

Re-signing him now would keep Hill’s price down, but another substance abuse violation would result in a huge suspension. Before the revisions to the substance abuse policy, Hill was facing a year-long suspension if he tested positive again. What punishment he would actually receive for another positive test is hard to tell under the new rules, and makes re-signing him a big risk.

So what should the Ravens actually do with him?

The answer to that starts with this simple fact: Will Hill is the best safety the Ravens have had since Ed Reed in his prime. The guy matched up one-on-one with Jimmy Graham and just about shut him down, for goodness sake. Any discussion of his contract has to start there.

Another important part of the negotiations: Despite a year of good behavior, Hill is a risk. Any long-term deal will need to have minimal guaranteed money.

With these two things in mind, the Ravens would be wise to at least try to lock up Hill to a longer term deal. He is absolutely worthy of being paid like a top-ten safety on a yearly basis (around $7 million a year), he’s just not worthy of guaranteed money. So approach him with that kind of deal, similar in structure to the six-year, $96 million deal that Andy Dalton signed last offseason, one with minimal guaranteed money.

If that falls through, the Ravens should be happy to retain Hill on the one-year first-round restricted free agent tender. With another year of good behavior, the Ravens could be more comfortable re-signing Hill to a long-term deal as well, though his price will presumably have risen.

Another team could conceivably try to make Hill an offer, even with a first-round tender. That’s unlikely, but the Ravens should be prepared for the possibility. Hill is probably worth more than a first rounder, so as long as the offer is not exorbitant, the Ravens would be wise to match.

Hill had a great first season in Baltimore, and the Ravens are not in any position to let a talented safety walk in free agency. Since Hill is an RFA, there is no reason not to have him back in purple and black next season. Get it done.

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