The rumor was that once the NFL Lockout ended and the Baltimore Ravens re-signed guard/tackle Marshal Yanda to a new 5-year, $32 million contract, Yanda loaded up a U-Haul and drove cross-country from his Iowa home to Baltimore. It turned out not to be a rumor, just the truth, as Yanda didn't see what the big deal was, as he had a bunch of stuff and the thought of hiring someone else to do what he was used to doing himself never occurred to the now very wealthy farm boy.
Prior to traveling to Baltimore, Yanda was working out in his hometown and helping out on his father's farm, according to a story on Anamosa Journal-Eureka Online. An interesting in-depth story by Daryl Schepanski details his home life and what went on in the negotiations and the decision-making process that ended with Yanda wanting to deal with what he termed "unfinished business."
(Click on the link above to go to the website or click on the 'Jump' to see the story copied there.)
Yanda signs 5-year, $32 million deal with Ravens
by Daryl Schepanski BALTIMORE, MD — What a month it was for former Anamosa superstar Marshal Yanda. July began with Yanda exchanging wedding vows with fiancee Shannon Hunt July 1, then on Thursday, July 28, Yanda signed his name on the dotted line finalizing a $32 million contract to remain a Baltimore Raven, for at least the next five years.
Former Anamosa High School standout Marshal Yanda wasted little time in signing a contract once the NFL lockout came to a close, negotiating a deal in mere hours to spend the next five years in Baltimore inking a $32 million contract with the Ravens. Yanda was the club’s top off-season signing priority. (Photo courtesy Baltimore Ravens)
"I’ll look back at this as one of the best months of my life," said Yanda, who got married in Peosta. "It’s been an incredible month on both the professional and personal levels. I couldn’t have asked for anything more." Yanda, who already has four years of NFL experience as an offensive lineman under his belt, could still see himself signing another contract down the road before his career is over. "Ideally I’d like to end my football career playing in Baltimore," said Yanda, who agreed to the contract on the first day free agents could sign after the NFL lifted the lock-out and camps opened around the country. "It really came together pretty fast. Tuesday (July 26) at 10 a.m. my agent started talking with teams. Then at 5 p.m. that afternoon, the deal was done with the Ravens. I know after the five years are up I’ll be a nine-year vet, but hopefully this won’t be the final contract I sign. Hopefully I can stay healthy and continue to contribute to this organization and earn another contract down the road." Yanda’s preference all along was to stay in Baltimore, a city he now considers home. "I love it there," he said. "I had some other teams looking at me and showing some interest, but it would have taken a lot for me to leave Baltimore. We’ve got a good thing going here and I want to see it through all the way to the Super Bowl." The Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all expressed interest in signing Yanda as well, but he followed his heart and decided to remain a Raven. "In the end it was actually a pretty easy decision," said Yanda, who reported to camp just this week. "We have a lot of unfinished business here. I think this team is capable of making a run deep into the playoffs and I wanted to be a part of that." Yanda’s contract is the second-richest ever given to a Ravens offensive lineman behind only all-Pro Jonathan Ogden. "Marshal told us he wanted to be a Raven and I’m beaming," said Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh in a statement. "We’re a better team now than we were before he signed this contract."and camps opened around the country. "It really came together pretty fast. Tuesday (July 26) at 10 a.m. my agent started talking with teams. Then at 5 p.m. that afternoon, the deal was done with the Ravens. I know after the five years are up I’ll be a nine-year vet, but hopefully this won’t be the final contract I sign. Hopefully I can stay healthy and continue to contribute to this organization and earn another contract down the road." Yanda’s preference all along was to stay in Baltimore, a city he now considers home. "I love it there," he said. "I had some other teams looking at me and showing some interest, but it would have taken a lot for me to leave Baltimore. We’ve got a good thing going here and I want to see it through all the way to the Super Bowl." The Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all expressed interest in signing Yanda as well, but he followed his heart and decided to remain a Raven. "In the end it was actually a pretty easy decision," said Yanda, who reported to camp just this week. "We have a lot of unfinished business here. I think this team is capable of making a run deep into the playoffs and I wanted to be a part of that." Yanda’s contract is the second-richest ever given to a Ravens offensive lineman behind only all-Pro Jonathan Ogden. He was also Baltimore’s top free agent signing priority, and the team wasted little time in getting a deal finalized. "I have to admit, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever sign a $32 million NFL contract," said Yanda, who was rated as the 13th-best overall free agent this off-season by CBS Sports. "Back when I played for Anamosa, it was always my dream to play for the Hawkeyes. I never thought the NFL was even a possibility. I guess this just shows dreams can come true if you believe in yourself and work hard." Yanda, who had spent the last six months during the lock-out in Iowa splitting time between Iowa City and Anamosa, is ready to get back to work. "I’ve been lifting down in Iowa City with the Hawks and helping my dad on the farm in Anamosa for quite a while now," he said. "That was fun, but I’m ready to get back to Baltimore and get back to work playing football. I can’t wait to get started."