Ravens PR: John Harbaugh wanted Ed Reed back

The Baltimore Ravensdid want Ed Reed back. That's the message Kevin Byrne, senior vice president, public & community relations, wanted to make perfectly clear in a story recently posted on the team website.

Byrne responded to Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston writing, "Ravens coach John Harbaugh wanted Reed back as much as he wants a root canal." That portion of Preston's Monday column said there was no real bidding war between the Houston Texans and Ravens -- that the Ravens' activity was more out of respect to Reed than a true desire to re-sign the safety.

"I really got pissed this week," Byrne wrote. "Fact is the sentence in no way reflected John's feelings about the future Hall of Famer Reed."

The fact is the Ravens didn't want Reed back at that price -- three years, $15 million. He surely would have been welcomed back at the veteran minimum, for example, but Reed never would have accepted that. Now, did the Ravens purposely low-ball him? That depends on whom you believe.

Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.