Retired LB Wanted to Reunite With Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens nearly added a very familiar face to their already stacked roster this offseason.

Linebacker C.J. Mosley, who recently announced his retirement due to a neck injury, confirmed that he reached out to the Ravens about playing one more year.

"It was my only choice. It was the only team I talked to," Mosley said on an upcoming episode of WJZ's "Purple Playbook." "It would have obviously been a great fairytale ending."

Mosley spent the first five seasons of his 10-year NFL career with Baltimore, which selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He then joined the New York Jets in 2019 and was released this offseason.

The five-time Pro Bowler was once one of the best off-ball linebackers in the league, racking up 1,082 tackles, 12 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 12 interceptions, 53 passes defenses and two touchdowns throughout his career.

Mosley is far from the same player he used to be, but it is a bit odd the Ravens weren't willing to entertain a reunion if the price was right.

Outside of Roquan Smith, Baltimore is going to have to rely on Trenton Simpson to make a big leap in his third NFL season or force fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan to have a much larger role sooner than expected. Adding Mosley would have given the team some much-needed insurance.

However, Mosley admits his injury history may have scared the Ravens away.

"I just kept it honest with [Ozzie Newsome]," Mosley said. "I told him about my injury update, how I was feeling. So, I sent over my medical stuff, and that was kind of the end of that."

With that said, it's safe to assume Mosley's time in the NFL has officially come to an end as the 33-year-old looks for what's next in his life after football.