C.J. Mosley says Ravens were his ‘only choice’ if he had continued playing football

The former Raven was close to coming home

Shortly after his retirement earlier this offseason, it was revealed that inside linebacker C.J. Mosley was hoping for a reunion with his original team, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had interest in their former 2014 first-round pick, but ultimately, Mosley was unable to pass a physical due to a neck injury.

The five-time Pro Bowler recently revealed that Baltimore was the only team he was interested in playing for following his release from the New York Jets.

“I did talk to the Ravens, post-release,” Mosley said on an episode of WJZ’s Purple Playbook. “I talked with Ozzie [Newsome]. It was just cool to hear from him again. I hadn’t really talked to him since I left the Ravens, so it’s always good to hear and talk to him. I just kept it honest with him. I told him about my injury update, how I was feeling. I sent over my medical stuff, and that kind of was the end of that.”

Mosley was then asked if the Ravens were his top choice.

“It was my only choice,” Mosley said. “That’s the only team I talked to, at least. It would have obviously been a great fairytale ending.”

Pairing Mosley with All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith would have solidified the middle of Baltimore’s defense. Instead, Baltimore will rely on younger, more unproven players to man the weakside linebacker position next to Smith — such as third-year pro Trenton Simpson or rookie Teddye Buchanan.