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Owings Mills, Md. • The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.

Pitta, Baltimore's fourth-round pick in 2010, was set to become an unrestricted free agent when free agency starts March 11.

"I could not be more excited to remain a Baltimore Raven," Pitta said in a statement. "There is no better organization or fan base in sports. To be given the opportunity to continue my career here is incredible. This organization drafted me and has always stood by me — especially during my difficult recovery last season. And for that, I am extremely grateful."

Pitta has become a favorite option of quarterback Joe Flacco in recent seasons.

He missed most of 2013 while recovering from a dislocated and fractured hip, but he returned to catch 20 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in the final four games.

He had 61 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2012 regular season and then added 14 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs in helping the Ravens win the Super Bowl.

"Dennis creates a number of mismatch problems for defenses," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "He makes it tough on them. And because of that, he really helps out our wide receivers.

"Opponents have to always pay attention to where he lines up and where his routes take him. Dennis is also a big target with very good hands, and his presence in the red zone is very important to us."

Without Pitta for most of 2013, Baltimore finished just 18th in passing offense.

"It was obvious when Dennis was out last year that we really missed him," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We all admire how he fought back from the hip injury and helped us down the stretch. Having Dennis as a part of the Ravens now and in the future is exciting news for us.

"Dennis has a large catch radius and can snatch the ball in traffic. Not only is he a reliable player, but he is an outstanding person as well. Having a weapon like Dennis makes everyone on our offense better."

The deal came a day after the Ravens terminated the contracts of three-time Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach and six-year linebacker Jameel McClain.

Saints place franchise tag on TE Jimmy Graham

New Orleans • The New Orleans Saints have placed their franchise tag on Jimmy Graham in order to protect the club's rights to its star tight end through next season.

The move means Graham, barring a holdout, will almost certainly play for New Orleans next season for no less than the tight end franchise tag of $7.04 million.

It is also possible, under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, that Graham could be tagged as a receiver because of how often he lined up split wide from the line. That would carry a tag of $12.3 million.

Once Graham's tag has been determined, the two sides could continue to argue that matter before an arbitrator. That appears to be the likely process as both side aim to determine precisely how much negotiating leverage they have before hammering out a long-term deal.

Similarly, the Saints use their franchise tag on quarterback Drew Brees in March 2012, then needed a little more than four months to work out the five-year, $100 million deal Brees signed shortly before training camp.

Like Brees, Graham is represented by Creative Artists Agency. They do not have the same agent. Graham is represented by Jimmy Sexton and Brees by Tom Condon.

The move, confirmed by team spokesman Greg Bensel, was expected as part of what is widely anticipated to be a protracted negotiation between the team and one of the best young tight ends in the NFL

Graham has said publicly during the Pro Bowl in February that it would be "unfortunate," if the team used the franchise tag on him, but on Friday he reacted to the move with subtle humor.

Afterward, Graham wrote on his Twitter account, "Confirming it's officially Franchisefriday... TAG ... I guess I'm it."

Graham, a former college basketball who played one year of football at Miami, was drafted by the Saints in 2010. Last season, he led the Saints in catches with 86, yards with 1,215 and touchdowns with 16.

He has led the Saints in catches in each of the past three seasons, while leading the club in yards receiving and touchdowns in two of the last three seasons.

During the past three regular seasons combined, he has 270 catches for 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Jets place franchise tag on K Nick Folk

New York • Nick Folk kicked his way to a big pay raise with the New York Jets.

The Jets placed the franchise tag on the reliable kicker Friday after he had perhaps the best season of his seven-year NFL career.

Folk made $780,000 last season, but the franchise tag estimate for kickers is about $3.4 million for this season. Folk was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and by using the tag, the Jets could potentially set things up for a multiyear deal — which it is believed Folk is seeking.

Teams have until Monday to designate a player for the franchise tag, which allows a team to retain the rights to a scheduled unrestricted free agent. It's the first time since 2011 that the Jets used the tag, when linebacker David Harris was franchised.

In his fourth season with the Jets, Folk made 33 of 36 field-goal attempts, including three winning kicks. He broke the franchise records for most consecutive field goals from the start of a season (23) and most consecutive home field goals (20). Folk also had a career-high 30 touchbacks on his kickoffs.

After spending his first three seasons with Dallas, Folk has established himself as a clutch kicker for the Jets, with coach Rex Ryan playfully referring to him as "Folk Hero."

Folk has repeatedly won training camp kicking competitions with the Jets, beating out Nick Novak, Josh Brown, Billy Cundiff and Dan Carpenter, among others, the last few summers.

Seattle releases WR Sidney Rice, DE Red Bryant

Receiver Sidney Rice and defensive end Red Bryant have been released by the Seattle Seahawks, giving the Super Bowl champions additional salary cap space as free agency approaches.

Seattle made the expected roster moves official Friday. Bryant had spent his entire career with the Seahawks, while Rice signed as a free agent before the 2011 season.

Both were due hefty salaries in 2014 that didn't necessarily match the production they had shown on the field. Rice had struggled with injuries with the Seahawks and was lost for the 2013 season after Week 8 with a knee injury. Bryant was a unique piece as a 300-pound defensive end for the Seahawks, but his playing time diminished throughout the season.

Seattle should save more than $12 million in salary cap space with the moves.

Receiver Maclin, Eagles agree to 1-year contract

Philadelphia • Jeremy Maclin and the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed on a one-year contract, preventing the wide receiver from becoming a free agent next month.

Maclin missed the entire 2013 season after tearing his right ACL in training camp.

The former first-round pick led the team with 69 receptions for 857 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012.

The NFC East champion Eagles had a busy week before signing Maclin on Friday. They gave new deals to wide receiver Riley Cooper and center Jason Kelce on Thursday and extended All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters' contract Wednesday.

Panthers use tag to keep DE Hardy; re-sign K Gano

Charlotte, N.C. • The Panthers announced they have applied the franchise tag to Greg Hardy, preventing the defensive end from hitting the free agent market.

Hardy will make $12.45 million next season.

Earlier Friday, the team said it re-signed kicker Graham Gano to a four-year contract. Financial terms of that deal were not released.

Hardy, entering his fifth NFL season, tied a franchise single-season record with 15 sacks in 2013 and was selected second-team All-Pro by The Associated Press.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera says in a release he's pleased to have Hardy back, adding "he was a big reason we were able to lead the league in sacks last year and he keeps our defensive line intact."

Hardy led the Panthers with 38 quarterback pressures and posted a career-high 67 tackles last season.

Ex-NFL safety Sharper surrenders in Los Angeles

Los Angeles • Former NFL All-Pro safety Darren Sharper surrendered to Los Angeles police after being named in a warrant involving a rape case in New Orleans.

Sharper, 38, also is under investigation in sexual assault cases in Florida, Nevada and Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles.

Sharper's surrender Thursday night had been arranged in advance, LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan said. He was being held at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center.

In a bail motion filed in the California case, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped.

Lawyers for Sharper, who played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010 primarily with the Green Bay Packers, have said they would prove that any sexual contact Sharper engaged in was welcomed.

The motion says the incidents happened in the past five months, with two occurring within a day in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Maccharella said he was told a woman went to a New Orleans bar with Sharper, consumed an alcoholic beverage provided by him and blacked out. She awoke the next morning while being sexually assaulted, the bail motion stated, noting that an exam later showed Sharper's DNA was present.

Another man facing rape charges in the New Orleans case turned himself in to police there on Friday.

Erik Nunez, 26, was booked on two counts of aggravated rape stemming from alleged assaults last September in New Orleans, police said.

Police issued warrants on Thursday for Sharper and Nunez. They face charges in the alleged rape of two women at the same location Sept. 23, police spokeswoman Remi Braden said.

Sharper's New Orleans-based attorney, Nandi Campbell, and attorney Leonard B. Levine, who represents Sharper in the California case, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Braden said she did not know whether Nunez had an attorney.

The assault investigation in New Orleans is ongoing and additional arrests are possible, Braden said.

If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. If convicted of aggravated rape in Louisiana, both Sharper and Nunez could face life imprisonment.

Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie and a second with the New Orleans Saints.

Sharper retired after the 2010 season. He is an analyst for the NFL Network, which has suspended him indefinitely without pay.