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Ravens, Joe Flacco's agent to meet

The Baltimore Ravens and the agent for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco will meet this week in Indianapolis in their first negotiating session since August, according to a source familiar with the talks.

The Ravens and Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, have been trading telephone calls in recent days to try to schedule the face-to-face negotiating session. If the two sides are unable to reach a long-term deal, the Ravens will use their franchise tag on the quarterback.

Earlier this month, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he's "optimistic" that the team will get a long-term deal done. Flacco is not under contract for the coming season. The exclusive tag, which would take the 28-year-old Flacco off the free-agent market, would take $20 million of cap space this season.

Newsome said on Feb. 7 that the sides were "very close" to a deal before the season began, but it was a mutual agreement to stop negotiations until the end of the season.