According to reports, the Ravens will decline the club option on Brandon Carr’s contract that would keep him as a Raven in 2020. The 13-year veteran will enter free agency.

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, who used to cover the Ravens for the Baltimore Sun, was first to report that the option would officially be declined. Most agreed that the Ravens would probably move on, and ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported that it was expected to happen. But until Wednesday, nothing was official.

Carr joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 after leaving the Dallas Cowboys. Before joining the Ravens, Carr had never missed a game in his career and started in every single one as well. that trend continued in Baltimore. Carr started 48 regular-season games out of 48 possible regular-season games. He recorded 130 solo tackles, 20 assists, 2 sacks, six tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, 29 pass deflections and six interceptions for the Ravens.

After the Ravens upgraded their secondary by trading for Marcus Peters, Carr was moved from cornerback to a cornerback/safety hybrid position that he played well. However, the depth in the Ravens secondary made it hard for Baltimore to hold on to him. The Ravens have Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Tavon Young, and Iman Marshall at cornerback, and Earl Thomas, Chuck Clark, and DeShon Elliott at safety. Carr, soon to be 34, is simply out of the picture.

By declining the club option, the Baltimore Ravens will free up $6 million in cap space and $1 million in dead cap. The money is absolutely necessary, as the Ravens’ signings have strained their cap space beyond acceptable limits. Carr should be an attractive free agent option for many teams looking for an upgrade in the secondary. Carr has still never missed a game in his career, and the veteran is known for being one of the best humanitarians in the National Football League.

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