The release-by-mistake of Elvis Dumervil caught a few teams off guard, which probably threw some plans off course for teams planning to sign one of the several veteran defensive ends in free agency. While it initially looked like the Denver Broncos wouldn’t have too much trouble signing him back, the Baltimore Ravens and other teams such as the Miami Dolphins have entered the competition for the best free agent still out there.

To make things clear – the Broncos are the only team to offer Dumervil a contract so far, but it’s lower than the $8 million he was going to get if the papers his agent had in his hands were submitted on time. Upon news of his release, the Ravens made contact with Dumervil and his people, but have yet to offer the three time pro bowler, coming off a season with 11 sacks which puts him at 63.5 in his career (15th among active players).

Dumervil wants to return to Denver, but was a little surprised by being offer an even lower deal than what he agreed on. If you remember, without any changes and restructuring, Dumervil was set to make $12 million in 2013, but agreed to take a pay cut or be released, knowing he’s not going to get more than $8-8.5 million on any other team.

The Ravens, after a series of big releases, have the cap room to accommodate the kind of contract Dumervil wants, but it’s not certain they’re looking to offer that kind of deal. The whole idea was to get younger and slim down the cap-space, without anyone being paid too much, except for Joe Flacco and Ray Rice. Dumervil will fit in nicely in the 3-4 defense, replacing Paul Kruger.

The Miami Dolphins, who seem to be in contention for every big name free agent on the mark, have also made their interest be known to Dumervil, but like the Ravens, haven’t offered a contract, probably waiting to see how serious he is about leaving Denver.

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