Baltimore Ravens players have been the team’s best recruiters in recent years. Eric Weddle used to pitch Baltimore to guys like Dez Bryant and more while he was with the team. Even recently, safety Earl Thomas has tried to convince key players to come to town. But one of Baltimore’s biggest recruiters in previous years was safety Tony Jefferson.
Even though he was released by the Ravens this offseason to help their salary cap, Jefferson is still recruiting guys. According to defensive end Calais Campbell on The Lounge Podcast, Baltimore wanted to work out an extension before agreeing to a trade this offseason. With just 36 hours to work out the details, Campbell turned to his former Arizona Cardinals teammate for some inside information about the Ravens. It was Jefferson’s glowing praise for Baltimore that helped convince him to make a deal work.
“For a guy who just got released to have that huge of an endorsement for a program was like ‘wow, I want to be a part of this, that’s pretty special'”
Jefferson isn’t the only player to commend the Ravens after leaving town. Weddle recently said it was Baltimore that helped spark his career and made him realize what good teams were like. Stars like Ray Lewis still remain close with the team after retirement, while both Jarret Johnson and Brian Billick have become broadcasters for Ravens games. Baltimore also has several of their former players still working for them in the front office. Zachary Orr is currently the team’s coaching analyst and O.J. Brigance is the senior advisor to player engagement.
The Ravens have cultivated quite the culture here in Baltimore and there’s no shortage of former players that will speak highly of their experiences with the team. And apparently, it’s still paying dividends today.
