A hectic offseason for Pro Bowl center Jeremy Zuttah has come full circle. He's back in Baltimore.
On Friday, the Ravens announced that they signed Zuttah to a two-year contract. The Ravens' move to bring back Zuttah comes just over a week after he was cut by the 49ers.
The reason Zuttah was even in San Francisco in the first place? The Ravens traded him there in March. On March 15, the Ravens agreed to send Zuttah and the No. 198 pick in this year's draft to San Francisco in exchange for the No. 186 pick. In the draft, the Ravens used the No. 186 pick to select defensive back Chuck Clark out of Virginia Tech. The 49ers used the No. 198 pick on defensive tackle D.J. Jones out of Mississippi.
On August 9, the 49ers cut Zuttah, which means in hindsight, the 49ers let the Ravens move up 12 spots in the sixth round for free. Oops.
"That was a tough decision," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said at the time, per ESPN.
On Friday, the Ravens signed him. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, it's a two-year deal worth almost $4 million in base salary. With playing-time incentives, Zuttah could earn as much as $6 million.
This is a good get for the Ravens considering the season is a couple weeks away. Zuttah, 31, was a Pro Bowler for the first time in his nine-year career last season. He's also somewhat familiar with the offense, so he'll should be able to pick it up quickly. That's important because the Ravens will likely need Zuttah to play.
The Ravens aren't just dealing with injuries at quarterback and tight end -- their offensive line has also been hit hard. Three offensive lineman -- guard Alex Lewis (shoulder), center John Urschel (retired), and guard Nico Siragusa (knee) -- have already been lost for the season.
As for the 49ers, they might've lost out on the trade, but considering how they swindled the Bears in the draft, I doubt they're getting worked up about a sixth-round pick swap.
