Donte' Stallworth Signs With Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens believe in second chances, so they're giving Donte' Stallworth a very large one.

The Ravens signed the wide receiver, who was suspended for the 2009 season, to a one-year contract Wednesday. A league source said the contract is worth $900,000 -- which in an uncapped season represents minimal risk for the team -- with approximately $300K possible in incentives.

Stallworth missed all of 2009 after he was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence just outside Miami on March 14. He was reinstated the day after Super Bowl XLIV, then released by the Cleveland Browns the same day.

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Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter after the accident, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He served 24 days.

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said the team had thought long and hard about Stallworth and done "extensive research" on him off the field.

"He made a huge mistake," Newsome said in a statement released by the team. "There's no doubt about that. He has paid a significant price for that and, as he has said, he carries a heavy weight. As [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] has said, we believe in second chances, and Donte' does deserve that.

"But, we've signed him because we want to get better, and we think he has a chance to help us."

It will be interesting to see how much he helps.

Stallworth has not played a full season since 2007, but that season, he began the year with New England as a starter and ended as a backup.

The Browns then signed him to a seven-year, $35 million free-agent contract. He missed five games after pulling a quad muscle in warm-ups prior to the season opener. He caught all of 17 passes in 2008 and was suspended in '09.

In his time in Cleveland, he earned $9.6 million.

Stallworth spent the night of May 13 at the Fountainbleau Hotel on Miami Beach, after having received a $4.5 million roster bonus from the Browns. He went home early the morning of the 14th, then got up and decided to drive to breakfast. While driving, he noticed Mario Reyes, a 59-year-old construction worker, walking off the causeway that goes between Miami and Key Biscayne.

Stallworth flashed his lights and honked his horn to warn Reyes he was there, but Reyes somehow missed him and stepped into the road outside a crosswalk.

Reyes was hit by Stallworth's Bentley at 7:15 a.m., and died on the scene.

Tests showed Stallworth was driving with a blood alcohol level of .126, well above the legal limit in Florida. He was sentenced in August of '09 and suspended for the season two days later.

"I will never get that morning back," Stallworth said in a statement released by the Ravens (he was not immediately made available to the media). "It weighs on me every day and will for the rest of my life. What I can do is move forward, try to be a better person, try to convince others not to do what I did and warn others about the dangers of drinking and driving.

"I have to show otherwise that what happened doesn't reflect who I am. I have to prove that, and, hopefully, I'm on my way to doing that."

At the Super Bowl, Goodell said he planned to reinstate Stallworth because his conversation with the WR showed he was "in a better place."

Police and prosecutors credited Stallworth for his actions immediately following the accident, and as the investigation continued. In public statements, he was apologetic.

In addition to the jail sentence, Stallworth received two years of house arrest, eight years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. He also reached a financial settlement with the Reyes family.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh and receivers coach Jim Hostler were on the staff in Philadelphia when Stallworth played for the Eagles. Harbaugh said Stallworth gives the Ravens "an opportunity to improve."

And the Ravens definitely need receivers. Running back Ray Rice led the team with 78 receptions in '09. Derrick Mason led the wideouts with 73 catches, but he's 36 and headed to free agency.

Mark Clayton and Kelly Washington had 34 catches each -- Clayton will be an restricted free agent (assuming 2010 is an uncapped season) and Washington will be unrestricted.

Stallworth has 296 receptions in his seven-year career. His best season was 2005, when he caught 70 passes for the Saints.

- FanHouse's Dan Graziano contributed to this report