Could Dennis Pitta Get Top Tight End Money?
The challenge, however, is that players in the last year of their contract sometimes want to bet on themselves and play out their deal to see if they can increase their value in free agency. That's what Flacco and cornerback Cary Williams did last year. "It's a little bit more difficult in the last year, because they get the opportunity to start to smell free agency, and they see what happens to their peers that get into free agency and the market that they command," General Manager Newsome said in April. "But we will attempt to probably try to sign some of those guys." Pitta has made significant strides in recent years, and last season he hauled in 61 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns. Compared to the other tight ends in the league, Pitta ranked ninth in receiving yards and sixth in touchdowns in the regular season. He added 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs. The BYU product is one of quarterback Joe Flacco's favorite targets and best friends on the team. Pitta has great hands and has established himself as one of the most reliable targets on the offense. With Anquan Boldin no longer in Baltimore, the team could look to Pitta to take on an even bigger role this season, which could raise his value. Pitta has started to climb into the upper echelon of NFL tight ends, and another standout season may have him amongst the top-paid tight ends in the game. Here's a look at the 10 highest-paid tight ends in the NFL (according to Rotoword), who could set the market for Pitta:  Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots  Eight years, $55.23 million, 13.17 million guaranteed  2012 stats: 11 games, 55 catches, 790 yards, 11 touchdowns  Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers  *Six years, $42.71 million, $23 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 16 games, 41 catches, 548 yards, five touchdowns  Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers*Six years, $39.8 million, $20.4 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 15 games, 49 catches, 538 yards, seven touchdowns  Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys*Five years, $37 million, $19 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 110 catches, 1,039 yards, three touchdowns  Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers  *Six years, $35.3 million, $12.5 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 15 games, 71 catches, 816 yards, eight touchdowns  Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars  Five years, $35 million, $17 million guaranteed  2012 stats: 16 games, 52 catches, 540 yards, four touchdowns  Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles  *Eight years, $34.01 million, 11 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 15 games, 57 catches, 684 yards, one touchdown  Zach Miller, Seattle Seahawks  Five years, $34 million, $17 million guaranteed  2012 stats: 16 games, 38 catches, 396 yards, three touchdowns  Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers*Five years, $24.7 million, $8.7 million guaranteed  *2012 stats: 16 games, 69 catches, 843 yards, five touchdowns