The Baltimore Ravens are one of the premier franchises in the NFL. Over the years, plenty of former players have talked highly of their experiences in Baltimore. And plenty of former Ravens players have retired with the team. Now it appears you can count safety Eric Weddle among that group.
In an interview with Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Weddle said he’d retire with Baltimore over either the Chargers or Rams.
“As of right now, I would retire as a Raven before those other two teams.”
Weddle played just three years with Baltimore while starting his career and playing nine years with the then-San Deigo Chargers. But Weddle has been highly critical of his time with the Chargers and the way his departure was handled by the organization. He noted it would take completely new leadership in order to consider the Chargers again.
“Until there’s new management with the Chargers, I’m not going to set foot in that place. That’s been said. It’s unfortunate how it happened, but I’m a guy who is very loyal and once you burn that bridge and do the things that they did, that’s just not going to happen.”
It’s no secret that players past and present continually describe Baltimore as a top-tier organization with a commitment to not only winning but its positive culture, energy and overall view on its players and personnel, from top to bottom. But hearing this notion echoed from Weddle, who spent far less time with the Ravens as he did his previous team, the Chargers, carries some hefty weight.
Yes, Weddle’s time with the Chargers ended on somewhat undesirable terms, but for a player to essentially shrug off his longest-tenured employer for another speaks volumes about both the kind of person and player he is, as well as the kind of organization players see in Baltimore.
Nevertheless, if Weddle chooses to retire a Raven as implied, Baltimore should be thrilled to have such an elite talent be remembered forever in purple and black.
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