It appears as though veteran free agent safety Eric Weddle will play in the AFC North in 2016 but not for the Pittsburgh Steelers as Adam Schefter is now reporting on Twitter that he is signing with the Baltimore Ravens.
According to Schefter, Weddle will sign a four-year, $26 million contract with the Ravens and that deal includes $13 million in first two years. Weddle has since confirmed his signing on Twitter. Other reports state that the deal totals out at $29 million.
The Steelers were rumored to be one of a handful of teams that was interested in signing Weddle, who has spent his entire NFL career with the San Diego Chargers. With that said, there never were any reports that Weddle came to Pittsburgh for a visit. According to Jason La Canfora, the Steelers never made a formal offer on Weddle and they monitoring his market over weekend.
According to Kevin Accee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders were two of the other teams besides the Steelers and the Ravens who were interested in signing Weddle.
“I couldn’t be more excited and pumped to be a part of a championship organization who wanted me from Day One,” Weddle reportedly said via text to Accee.
The Ravens sorely needed a veteran safety and it appears as though they have found one in Weddle, who turned 31 in January.
It was reported on Friday that Weddle would more than likely make a decision on Monday after reviewing all of his options. Last season he recorded 78 total tackles but did miss 3 games due a groin injury. Those missed games were Weddle’s first since the 2009 season.
The Ravens signing of Weddle now means that the Steelers will face the veteran safety at least twice a season for the foreseeable future.
