Joe Flacco’s new contract reportedly includes $52 million in guaranteed money. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Joe Flacco’s historic new six-year, $120.6-million contract with the Baltimore Ravens includes a whopping $52 million in guaranteed money, USA Today’s Jim Corbett reported Sunday.

Flacco and the Ravens agreed to the contract on Friday and he will sign it Monday, according to the report. The deal makes the Super Bowl MVP Flacco the highest-paid player in NFL history and could keep him in a Ravens uniform through age 34.

Corbett reported that the contract will count only $6.8 million against the Ravens’ salary cap this season. The deal also aids the Ravens because they now are free to use their franchise tag, if they choose, on one of three players — linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, defensive end Paul Kruger or safety Ed Reed.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told the NFL Network’s Albert Breer that he was happy about the deal.

“Just very happy for Joe, his family & also for Ravens fans,” Harbaugh told Breer via text message. “He['s] always been our QB. So to me, this is very fitting.”

Flacco had a stellar postseason while leading the Ravens to a 34-31 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers. In the playoffs, he threw 11 touchdowns to no interceptions and completed nearly 58 percent of his passes.

The Titans will reportedly designate Jared Cook as a tight end when using their franchise tag on him. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

The Tennessee Titans are expected to use its franchise tag on Jared Cook on Monday, setting up a potential fight over his designation as either a tight end or wide receiver.

According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, the Titans will name Cook a tight end when placing the tag on him. Cook is expected to fight that designation and instead attempt to earn a tag as a wide receiver.

The difference between the Titans and Cook’s opinions is about $4.5 million. A player designated as a tight end would earn $6.7 million under the franchise tag next season, while a wide receiver would earn $10.54 million. According to the Article 9, Section 2 of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the “tender will apply to the position in which the player participated in the most plays.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Cook lined up in the slot for 56 percent of the 485 snaps he played last season. He was also lined up wide on other plays, which would add to his time as a receiver.

The Dolphins’ Jake Long could be out for the season with a torn triceps injury. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

The Miami Dolphins suspect that standout left tackle Jake Long has torn his triceps muscle and will be out for the season, NFL.com’s Jeff Darlington reported Sunday.

Darlington reported that Long, who left Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the New England Patriots with the injury, will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his injury. But the Dolphins appear pessimistic. One source told Darlington that it “doesn’t look good.”

Despite the loss Sunday, the Dolphins remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. Miami sat 1.5 games behind both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, who were playing late-afternoon games on Sunday. Without Long, the Dolphins would face even more of an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

If Long is indeed out for the remainder of the season, it could also be the 2008 No. 1 draft pick’s final snap with Miami. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season. And though the Dolphins could place their franchise tag on him, it would cost them nearly $16 million to do so.

The Dolphins drafted tackle Jonathan Martin in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has played this season as the team’s right tackle, but he was a left tackle at Stanford.

Ray Rice said he’s “optimistic” about agreeing to a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens before Monday’s deadline. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Ray Rice said Friday that he’s “always optimistic” about agreeing to a long-term contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens that would take the franchise-tag label off the star running back, The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec reported.

“I’m always optimistic,” Rice said while playing host to ”A Ray of Hope,” an anti-bullying teen suicide outreach event at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. “God has put me in a position where not too many people can say they’ve been. I never played for the dollars and all of that other stuff. My rookie contract, quite frankly, you just signed it and go play football so this is a little bit difference of an experience for me.”

Zrebiec noted, though, that there have been no reports of progress between Rice and the Ravens on an extension. The deadline for teams to sign franchise players to a long-term contract is Monday at 4 p.m. ET. If Rice doesn’t agree to an extension, he will be forced to play under the one-year franchise tender of $7.7 million.

The 25-year-old Rice has become one of the best running backs in the NFL during his four years in the league. Last season, he rushed for 1,364 yards on 293 carries — a 4.7 yards-per-carry average. He added 704 receiving yards, and he had 15 total touchdowns.

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte wants “respect” for his work in the form of a contract extension. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears and running back Matt Forte are “extremely close” on agreeing to a long-term contract extension that would take the franchise-tag label off Forte, NFL.com’s Michael Lombardi reported Saturday.

A long-term contract would put an end to a long, back-and-forth war of words between Forte and the Bears this offseason. Forte has been seeking a long-term deal since the Bears slapped the franchise tag on him, and he has yet to sign the one-year franchise tender the Bears have offered.

The Bears and Forte have until Monday at 4 p.m. ET to work out a long-term contract.

On Friday, Forte said he was still hopeful of agreeing to a new deal with the Bears.

“Hopefully, it will end up well,” Forte told ESPN.com. “And when? Hopefully by the 16th. That’s the final date, so I’m looking forward to trying to get it done by then. I’m a very optimistic guy, so going into this weekend I’m pretty optimistic that it will get done,” Forte said. “Saying my prayers and everything, hopefully it will get done.”

Forte would make $7.74 million this season under the franchise tender. Forte does have the option of holding out until Week 10, but he would forfeit his salary up to that point. Forte played in 12 games for the Bears last season, rushing for 995 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 52 passes for 490 yards.

The Oakland Raiders and safety Tyvon Branch have agreed to a four-year contract worth $26.6 million, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported Saturday on Twitter. The deal takes Branch off the Raiders’ franchise tag label.

As filed to @CBSSports.com, Raiders S Tyvon Branch agrees to 4 yr deal with team, getting off the franchise tag. Deal to be finalized today

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 14, 2012

The deal is worth $26.4M, with a max of $28M including incentives. He makes $16.1m in the 1st 2 yrs and $17.6M is Guaranteed (Huff got $15m)

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 14, 2012

The four-year deal — which is 66 percent guaranteed — allows Branch to hit the free-agent market before age 30.

In March, the Raiders used the franchise tag on Branch, which allowed running back Michael Bush to become a free agent. Bush eventually signed with the Chicago Bears as a sort of insurance for the Bears’ stalled negotiations with their own franchise player, Matt Forte.

Teams have until Monday at 4 p.m. ET to agree to long-term deals with their franchise players. On Friday, the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a $100 million megadeal. Forte, meanwhile, is “hopeful” on a new long-term deal with the Bears. Things aren’t as optimistic with the negotiations between the New England Patriots and their franchise player, wide receiver Wes Welker.

Wes Welker and the Patriots are far apart on a long-term contract extension. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots and wide receiver Wes Welker are heading into their last week of long-term contract discussions for a while, and the big gap between the two sides suggests little possibility of a deal getting done.

The Boston Globe’s Greg Bedard reported Sunday that the Patriots and Welker are about $6 million in guaranteed money apart from one another, a big divide heading into the final week of negotiations. Welker and the Patriots can negotiate on a long-term contract until July 16 at 4 p.m. At that point, the two sides could no longer negotiate until the end of the season, and Welker would be forced to play the season under the $9.515 million franchise tag. Bedard breaks it down:

Basically, the Patriots want Welker to take a bit of a discount to stay with Tom Brady. Welker, meanwhile, wants a deal that guarantees him just below the $21 million he would get paid playing two years under the franchise tag.

You’re talking about a distance in the range of around $6 million in guaranteed money.

Welker, 31, produced arguably his best season last year with the Patriots. He caught an NFL-leading 122 passes for a career-high 1,569 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns.

Bedard points out that if the Patriots are committed to Walker for more than next season, they would be wise to sign him to a long-term deal rather than continue to lock him up via the franchise tag. If the Patriots signed him to an extension, they would save approximately 50 percent on his cap number and could use the savings for extensions on other players, including tight end Aaron Hernandez, offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer or safety Patrick Chung.

The Miami Dolphins are planning to use their 2013 franchise tag on left tackle Jake Long if they do not come to terms on an extension during the season. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

The Miami Dolphins plan to place their franchise tag on left tackle Jake Long if the team does not reach a long-term deal with Long during the season, The Miami Herald reports Sunday. From the report:

Jake Long said he is unaware of any contract talks, but Miami will use the franchise tag on him next spring if a deal isn’t reached. Expect offers eventually to Brian Hartline and Sean Smith, entering the last year of their deals.

The 27-year-old Long enters the 2012 NFL season as one of the premier left tackles in the sport. By comparison, the Cleveland Browns’ Joe Thomas signed a seven-year, $84 million contract last August. After that deal, SI’s Peter King wrote that only Long eked out Thomas as the best left tackle in the game.

Long is durable — he’s only missed two games in his four-year NFL career. But he has battled through a number of injuries over the past two seasons. Those injuries include a shaky left knee, a torn right biceps, a lower back injury that kept him out for a game and for the Pro Bowl, and a dislocated left shoulder.

Rumors surfaced from a bogus report after April’s draft that Long’s days in a Miami uniform were numbered after the Dolphins selected Jonathan Martin to play right tackle. After that report, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said he “plans to keep Jake Long right here for a long time.”

“We have plans to keep Jake around here,” Ireland said, according to The Miami Herald. “We drafted Jonathan Martin to be a tackle on this football team. A right tackle on this football team so let’s don’t speculate any further than that.”

The Tennessee Titans will not place a franchise tag on cornerback Cortland Finnegan, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As a result, Finnegan will become an unrestricted free-agent.

Titans will not place their franchise tag on cornerback Cortland Finnegan, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 02, 2012

Finnegan, 28, had 58 total tackles, one sack, and one interception last season for the Titans. In 2010 he had 82 total tackles, two interceptions, and one sack.

If Finnegan signs elsewhere, it will end a six year career in Tennessee. The Titans originally drafted him in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft out of Samford. In total he has tallied 388 tackles, 14 interceptions, and 68 pass deflections in six seasons.

The Atlanta Falcons have placed a franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

BREAKING: Thomas Dimitroff has announced the Falcons have placed the franchise tag on Brent Grimes.

—
  (@Atlanta_Falcons) March 02, 2012

Last season Grimes tallied 49 tackles and one interception in 12 games for Atlanta. The 28-year-old emerged as the full-time starter for the Falcons in 2010 when he hauled in five interceptions and totaled 87 tackles.

Atlanta signed Grimes as an undrafted free-agent in 2007 to their practice squad after a stint playing with the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe. He was previously a three-time All-American for Shippensburg University.