The Baltimore Ravens want Joe Flacco in their huddle. They need Joe Flacco in their huddle, and now they will have to pay handsomely to keep him in their huddle.

Flacco and his agent Joe Linta gambled that the quarterback would have much more leverage if he played well in 2012 rather than signing some sort of extension before the season. And Flacco drew a pair of aces, not only leading the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII, but winning the game's MVP Award in the process.

In fact, Flacco was nearly flawless in the process, and now he is now clearly at the front of the line of Ravens who are looking to cash in on their 2012 season.

The past two seasons, the Ravens have franchised Haloti Ngata and Ray Rice and ultimately worked out long-term deals with them. The non-exclusve franchise tag would cost the Ravens $14.6 million, but to fend off all teams that might be willing to surrender two first-rounders to sign a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, the Ravens might have to apply the more expension exclusive tag at around $20 million.

Joe Flacco went all-in looking for leverage to be paid like the Bradys, Mannings and Breeses of the NFL, and his play through the postseason shows that he is now holding all the aces in his quest for a new deal.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com