http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...illion-contract-extension-20150709-story.html
The Ravens and veteran punter Sam Koch avoided an unwanted potential scenario Thursday when they locked him up with a five-year, $16.25 million contract extension that included a $4 million signing bonus.
By hammering out the new contract, which includes $7.3 million in total guaranteed money and boosts the total value of his contract to $18.75 million, the Ravens kept Koch from becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season.
This deal should allow Koch to complete his career with the Ravens. Koch is now under contract through the 2020 season.
Koch probably could have commanded even more money on the open market, but instead opted to remain with the only NFL team he's ever played for.
“Going into this knowing that when they contacted us that this was a possibility, it was always in the back of my mind that the last thing I wanted to do was test free agency because I didn’t want to have the possibility to leave this place,” Koch told The Baltimore Sun in a telephone interview Thursday night. “You have a top-notch organization here, including the staff. There’s no better place to be for me. To have the opportunity to stay here, I told [Ravens senior vice president of football administration] Pat Moriarty, ‘It’s not about the money; it’s about the chance to have my family rooted here.’
“The money is great, but that’s three, four points down the road. To get this done and have my family stay in the same schools, it was definitely a win-win situation.”
Koch's deal, negotiated by Atlanta-based agent Steve Mudder, averages $3.25 million per year in new money.
Koch was heading into the final year of a five-year, $12.516 million deal signed in 2011 that included $3 million guaranteed.
“The nice thing about Steve as an agent is I can guarantee that he will outwork any agent out there because of the type of guy and the mentality he has,” Koch said. “He works his tail off, night and day. Whether he’s in the United States or in Indonesia, he makes things work for us as a family and keeps things simple for us.”
Koch is coming off a career-best season where he averaged 47.4 yards per punt and 43.3 net yards. Both numbers established career-highs and franchise single-season records as Koch led the league last year in net punting. However, Koch was snubbed for the Pro Bowl after ranking first in the fan balloting.
A 2006 sixth-round draft pick from Nebraska, Koch has recorded a career 45.0 yards per punt average in nine NFL seasons.
Koch, 32, has consistently drawn praise for his coffin corner punts, directional punting, hang time and poise as the Ravens' holder for Pro Bowl kickers Justin Tucker, Billy Cundiff and Matt Stover.
The Ravens and veteran punter Sam Koch avoided an unwanted potential scenario Thursday when they locked him up with a five-year, $16.25 million contract extension that included a $4 million signing bonus.
By hammering out the new contract, which includes $7.3 million in total guaranteed money and boosts the total value of his contract to $18.75 million, the Ravens kept Koch from becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season.
This deal should allow Koch to complete his career with the Ravens. Koch is now under contract through the 2020 season.
Koch probably could have commanded even more money on the open market, but instead opted to remain with the only NFL team he's ever played for.
“Going into this knowing that when they contacted us that this was a possibility, it was always in the back of my mind that the last thing I wanted to do was test free agency because I didn’t want to have the possibility to leave this place,” Koch told The Baltimore Sun in a telephone interview Thursday night. “You have a top-notch organization here, including the staff. There’s no better place to be for me. To have the opportunity to stay here, I told [Ravens senior vice president of football administration] Pat Moriarty, ‘It’s not about the money; it’s about the chance to have my family rooted here.’
“The money is great, but that’s three, four points down the road. To get this done and have my family stay in the same schools, it was definitely a win-win situation.”
Koch's deal, negotiated by Atlanta-based agent Steve Mudder, averages $3.25 million per year in new money.
Koch was heading into the final year of a five-year, $12.516 million deal signed in 2011 that included $3 million guaranteed.
“The nice thing about Steve as an agent is I can guarantee that he will outwork any agent out there because of the type of guy and the mentality he has,” Koch said. “He works his tail off, night and day. Whether he’s in the United States or in Indonesia, he makes things work for us as a family and keeps things simple for us.”
Koch is coming off a career-best season where he averaged 47.4 yards per punt and 43.3 net yards. Both numbers established career-highs and franchise single-season records as Koch led the league last year in net punting. However, Koch was snubbed for the Pro Bowl after ranking first in the fan balloting.
A 2006 sixth-round draft pick from Nebraska, Koch has recorded a career 45.0 yards per punt average in nine NFL seasons.
Koch, 32, has consistently drawn praise for his coffin corner punts, directional punting, hang time and poise as the Ravens' holder for Pro Bowl kickers Justin Tucker, Billy Cundiff and Matt Stover.
