Ravens announce Houshmandzadeh signing, Clayton trade

OWINGS MILLS --  The Baltimore Ravens made it official, announcing their one-year deal with veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and trading wide receiver Mark Clayton to the St. Louis Rams for a late-round draft pick.

Houshmandzadeh was cut by the Seattle Seahawks last weekend.

“The first things that pop out at you about T.J. are that he has been very productive and durable in his first nine years in the NFL,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “Plus, we saw him more than we wanted making a lot of plays against us. We had interest in him a year ago when he first became a free agent before he signed with Seattle.

“He’s another proven weapon for our offense – a big receiver with good hands and toughness. The one other thing that every coach and player we talked with about him indicated is that T.J. is a driven player with an excellent work ethic.”

A former Pro Bowl selection, Houshmandzadeh has posted 586 career receptions for 6,693 yards and 40 touchdowns. In 13 career games against the Ravens, he caught 77 passes for 987 yards and six touchdowns. In a 2004 game at M&T Bank Stadium, he posted a career-high 171 receiving yards on 10 receptions.

Houshmandzadeh, 32, caught 79 passes for 911 yards and three touchdowns last season. 

Clayton is a former first-round draft pick.

“You never reach a point when it’s easy to release or trade a player you respect," Newsome said. "Everyone here has the highest regard for Mark. He’ll help the Rams, and it’s good for him that they reached out to get him. Mark is a good person who did everything he could to help the Ravens on and off the field.

"In the end, we have to do what we think is best for the team, but letting Mark go hurts. He was first class all the way, even when we met with him about the trade. This is a tough part of the business.”

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