The Baltimore Ravens announced the release of offensive tackle Eugene Monroe on Wednesday, closing the book on the worst deal in the franchise's history.
Monroe was cut just 27 months after the Ravens gave him $17.5 million in guaranteed money. All Baltimore got in return was 17 starts.
If you're counting at home, that amounts to $1.03 million per start or $17,500 per snap over the past two seasons. That's not including the fourth- and fifth-round draft picks in 2014 that Baltimore traded to Jacksonville to initially acquire Monroe.
At the time, the Ravens were making the right move to re-sign Monroe in free agency. In 2014, Baltimore had to choose between giving a big-money deal to either Monroe or Michael Oher. In hindsight, you can say it was a no-win situation at left tackle for the Ravens.
Team officials love to use the mantra "Play Like A Raven," and Monroe never could fit the mold. He worked hard in the weight room, and he had the athleticism to be a franchise left tackle. But Monroe lacked the passion and toughness that the Ravens want out of their players.
Monroe tweeted last Friday that the team was distancing itself from him and his medical marijuana campaign. But the reason why the Ravens parted ways with Monroe goes beyond his strong stance on a banned substance.
Ravens officials talked at the NFL combine in February about their desire to re-sign Kelechi Osemele with the intention of using him at left tackle. That was a month before Monroe became the first active player to advocate medical marijuana.
Monroe fell out of favor with Baltimore the past two years, dating back to the 2014 AFC divisional playoff game in New England. He was healthy enough to be active with an ankle injury, but he wasn't able to start, which forced the Ravens to go with James Hurst.
Monroe's last game was in the middle of last season, when he left the Rams game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. Hurst replaced Monroe and got pushed back into Joe Flacco, who suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Ravens simply couldn't put their trust in Monroe. He started and finished just three of his last 16 games (including playoffs) dating back to Week 16 of last season.
Baltimore was just waiting for Monroe to get medically cleared from his shoulder injury before cutting ties with him. He got the approval from doctors last Wednesday, and he was gone a week later.
Monroe's fate in Baltimore was sealed in April, when the Ravens used the No. 6 overall pick on Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens weren't going to pay $6.5 million in base salary for a backup.
The Ravens are historically smart in free agency, but the deal with Monroe will rank as the biggest disappointment in the team’s 20-year existence, exceeding the ones given to offensive tackle Leon Searcy ($3 million in 2001) and Domonique Foxworth ($16.5 million guaranteed in 2009).