Joe Flacco 'optimistic' about returning to Ravens

Still less than 12 hours removed from being named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Flacco must now look to the future. His rookie contract has expired, so Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens will now be tasked with hammering out a new deal in the coming weeks.

"I'm pretty optimistic, but who knows?" Flacco said of striking a deal with the Ravens, according to the Baltimore Sun. "There's all kinds of crazy things that can happen with these contracts that we've all seen before, but this is a great organization. I love being [in this] great city, so I don't really anticipate any problems."

Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, expects to meet with the Ravens' brass soon in order to hash out what is likely to be a very lucrative deal. For Baltimore's part, they, too, expect a deal to get done, though it's anyone's guess at the price tag.

If Flacco is given the franchise tag -- rather than the long-term deal he wants -- the quarterback will earn $14.6 million next season, according to the paper. Some believe, namely NFL Network's Deion Sanders, that Flacco will get that long term deal. And in Sanders' estimation, it will be in excess of $100 million.

At any rate, the Flacco camp certainly has a ton of leverage, given the way he and the Ravens performed down the stretch -- including Flacco having one of the best postseason's in NFL history.

"I'm sure [Ravens vice president of football of administration] Pat [Moriarty] and I will be talking soon," Linta told the paper. "It's hard to argue that Joe's not the best guy out there now. I'm incredibly proud of him."

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